Sochi Riots while the Olympics Opening was happening

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics was opened February 7, 2014. Unfortunately, it also marked another round of harassment against the gay community in Russia.

In the Olympic arena, flags were waving and athletes were marching in Sochi. But in St. Petersburg and Moscow, gay rights activists were being detained and insulted by authorities.

When asked by reporters, police refused to comment on why they detained 10 LGBT activists who waved rainbow flags while trying to sing a Russian anthem in Red Square. They also refused to comment with detaining 4 protesters in St. Petersburg.

This isn't the only faction where the Russian LGBT community has been put under grave pressure. They have also been pressured by widespread neo-Nazi violence against LGBT people and a harsh anti-gay law made by the Russian government. This law criminalizes any form of support for gay rights, even vocally.

Human Rights First spokesman Shawn Gaylord said "The most alarming thing is, despite the international attention, the authorities are still bringing more charges under the law and it is being applied on a larger scale."

All Out, a Russian gay rights organization condemned the arrests. Their executive director Andre Banks said "This outrageous move directly contradicts the IOC's assurance that Russian laws are in line with the Olympic Charter."

What all these means is that the Russian government does not like any opposition to their anti-gay laws despite the Olympics being in their country.

Ban Ki-moon, UN's Secretary-General also showed opposition to the Russian law in a speech to International Olympic Committee members. "Many professional athletes, gay and straight, are speaking out against prejudice. We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people", he said.

In support of the gay community, Human Rights Watch released an upsetting overview of attacks on Russian gays before the Olympics' opening ceremonies.

It seems Russian President Vladimir Putin does not care for gays in his country. He said that LGBT people visiting Russia for the Olympics have nothing to fear and should be "relaxed and calm.", whilst also adding "But please, leave the children alone,".