The National Union of Students (NUS) held their very own Sports Gay today – a protest to highlight Russia’s woeful human rights record in the lead up to the Sochi Winter Olympics.
They staged a traditional sports day with an LGBT twist outside the Russian embassy in London rallying LGBT people and allies to affirm that the LGBT community has a place in sport and they will not accept the community being discriminated against.
The NUS worked in conjunction with Amnesty Students,allies and sports teams from across the UK to make a stand against Russia’s anti-gay laws.
The Campaign calls for:
• President Putin to pledge not to arrest or detain anyone who is shown to be supporting LGBT rights during the Winter Olympics
• To call on the International Olympics Committee to honour Principle 6: “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement,” in relation to Sochi and future Olympic venues
• David Cameron, Helen Grant and other MPs to condemn the treatment of LGBT people in Sochi and across Russia
• President Putin to lift the 100 year ban on Moscow Pride
Sky Yarlett and Finn McGoldrick, NUS LGBT officers, said: “NUS LGBT believes that Putin’s Russia has become a place of intimidation and violence for LGBT people.
“The international community and corporate sponsors can no longer stand idly by and ignore these human rights violations. It is grotesque to think that what is meant to be a celebration will be masking deep injustice for the LGBT community in Russia”
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