Italian activist Vincenzo Francone drew attention to gay rights in Russia
In 1980 the world’s attention was drawn to Russia and the Moscow Summer Olympics got underway. It was the first time the games were being held in an Eastern Bloc country, and at the height of the cold war, and following Russia’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, many countries boycotted the event.
Lead by the United States 66 countries completely boycotted the games, while many others only appeared under the Olympic flag.
Drawing attention to Russia’s laws, which at the time made homosexuality a crime, Italian gay rights activist Vincenzo ‘Enzo’ Francone staged a protest in Red Square.
Francone had reportedly intended to handcuff himself to the fence of the Kremlin, but security personnel moved in before he could reach his desired location, instead he locked on to a barrier in Red Square.
He carried with him a poster of two Russian men who had been imprisoned for being gay, and called for the removal of the laws which saw people jailed for up to a decade.
Francone was grabbed by authorities and thrown to the ground. Later he was seen in a security office being beaten. International photographers who attempted to capture the altercation were also hurt in the ensuring melee, and authorities dragged them off, confiscated their equipment and removed film of the incident.
Shortly afterwards the Francone was deported from Russia.
Enzo Francone was one of the founders of Fuori!, which is recognised as the first gay rights organisation in Italy. He was also a founding member of the International Gay and Lesbian Association. He passed away on 29th November 2009, aged 62, following a battle with lung cancer.
