Russia anti gay flag
“We needed to come up with an effective, irreverent and inspiring idea that also kept the people who are fighting safe.
“On the eve of the World Cup inauguration and Pride month in Spain, the FELGTB and asked us to come up with an idea to draw awareness to the discriminatory laws in Russia and put pressure on them to change,” said Pancho Cassis, executive creative director at LOLA MullenLowe, the agency behind the campaign. The Hidden Flag gives visibility to all of the brave people who face discrimination, silencing and fear on a daily basis in Russia and other parts of the world were LBGTI people are persecuted, humiliated or marginalized.”īoth the FELGTB and FARE (Fifa’s anti-discrimination network) warned visiting LGBTQ fans not to participate in any political protests and to avoid public displays of affection, something this group of activists took into account before landing in Russia. Stated Uge Sangil, president of FELGTB Spain: "Becoming visible is a huge risk in Russia but doing it in front of thousands of fans and reporters during the World Cup and with this smart and original protest is what really motivated us.
According to a release, a recent study from the Center for Independent Social Research found that hate crimes against the LGBT+ community have doubled since 2013, and Human Rights Watch International said: “Russian police consistently fail to prevent harassment and attacks and to investigate anti-LGBT crimes.”