Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London has written to Yuri Luzhkov, the Mayor of Moscow to call for an end to the official ban on gay pride marches. Parade organiser Nikolai Alexeyev was among about 20 people detained after gay protesters were reportedly ‘punched and kicked' by nationalists at a pro-gay pride march in Moscow on Sunday. He has since been released but and two other parade organisers have been ordered to appear in court on 9th June for a hearing on criminal charges that they were staging an illegal demonstration. Mayor Livingstone also expresses his solidarity with London-based gay equality campaigner Peter Tatchell who was violently assaulted and then arrested at Sunday's march. "I am writing to convey my deep concern at the reported physical violence against, and arrest of, Peter Tatchell, a Parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in Britain, and other supporters of lesbian and gay rights, during their participation in an event in Moscow seeking to present a petition to you to lift a ban on the Gay Pride parade in Moscow,” Livingstone writes. "I have known Peter Tatchell for many years and know him to be a person committed exclusively to peaceful political activity. "I would urge you to use your good offices to seek the lifting of all charges against Mr Tatchell and his fellow demonstrators. "I would also urge you to resolve the root cause of this protest by lifting the ban on the Gay Pride parade in Moscow in line with the practice of most cities throughout the world.” Ref: Euro-Queer (m)