Moscow gay rally: 40 detained

MOSCOW (AP) — Moscow police spokesman Anatoly Lastovetsky said 40 people of anti-gay protesters and gay rights activists were detained in central Moscow Saturday.

Saturday’s protest was one of the few gay rights events sanctioned by authorities. In recent years, several attempts to hold gay pride marches in Moscow and other Russian cities have been blocked by police, Russian Orthodox Church activists and soccer fans. During the rally, several men were seen trying to pelt the protesters with tomatoes and unfurling posters with pejorative remarks about homosexuality.