A Moscow court yesterday convicted Nikolay Alexeyev, the organiser of a gay pride march, of holding an illegal demonstration and resisting police. He was fined $1000 Russian rubles each (about NZ$50). Before the sentence was rendered Alexeyev walked out of the courtroom in protest, calling the proceeding a "farce". Alexeyev accused the judge of refusing to hear defense evidence and said he would refuse to pay the fine. Another organizer of last month's parade, Nikolay Khramov, also was fined. Both are expected to appeal the sentences. In all about 20 people were arrested at the 27th May parade. Two European parliamentarians and British gay advocate Peter Tatchell were among them. About 100 people had attempted to hold the gay parade despite the refusal of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov to issue a permit. Waiting for the gay marchers were members of extreme right nationalist groups, Russian Orthodox churchgoers, and young militants. The crowd pelted the gay group with eggs and started a number of skirmishes until police moved in arresting the gay leaders. A woman threw a bottle of water on Tatchell and then a young man in military fatigues hit him in the head. The British rights leader was led away by police. Police were accused of doing nothing to stop the angry mob. "I didn't feel protected," said Vladimir Luxuria, the first transsexual member of the Italian Parliament after she was released. A Moscow court in April tossed out a lawsuit accusing Mayor Lushkov of libel over claims he made that gay rights marches were "satanic." The court ruled that Moscow Pride leaders had failed to prove that the remarks were incendiary or intended to vilify gays in general. In January during a Kremlin meeting before leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church Lushkov said that gay rights marches were "satanic." The speech was broadcast on Moscow television. Last year, Lushkov refused to give a permit for the gay parade citing security concerns. Despite the ban, marchers attempted to hold a parade. Police quickly moved in arresting marchers and counter protestors. Ref: 365gay.com (m)