Russian Cops, Olympic Officials Tackle Teen for Unfurling LGBT Pride Flag at Torch Relay
The tone has been set:
A teenage boy named Pavel Lebedev is being hailed as an international hero by LGBT rights activists after video showing him flying a rainbow flag at an Olympic torch relay went viral on Tuesday.
The Winter Olympics torch relay was making its way through Lebedev’s home town of Voronezh on Saturday. Lebedev walked up to the parade line and unfurled a rainbow-colored LGBT rights flag.
Within seconds, he was set upon by two men who have been confirmed as Olympic officials, who knocked the youth down and held him until police arrived on the scene.
Currently, Lebedev is being held for questioning by police.
He told the Associated Press, “Hosting the games here contradicts the basic principles of the Olympics, which is to cultivate tolerance.”
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