$10.9 mln claim against Madonna gay rights promotion to be heard Oct. 11

The Moskovsky District Court in St. Petersburg will hear on October 11 complaints filed against Madonna and her concert organizers for promoting homosexuality, attorney Alexander Pochuyev, who is representing the St. Petersburg activists that filed the claim, told RIA Novosti on Monday.

“According to our information, the court will hold the hearings on October 11,” he said.

The plaintiffs seek 333 million rubles ($10.87 million) in damages.

Madonna, who held a concert in St. Petersburg as part of her controversial MDNA tour, urged local residents to be friendlier to the LGBT community during her performance.

In mid-August, activists submitted to the Moskovsky District Court several lawsuits against the singer and the concert organizers. They claimed that they were offended by the statement supporting homosexuals. The court abandoned the claims, as violations had been made during their drafting and they had to be eradicated. Earlier in the week, the activists’ representatives said they managed to find the official address of the singer and the other information necessary for the court’s further consideration of the lawsuits.

Previously, St. Petersburg human rights activists said they submitted an application to investigators, asking that they bring Madonna to justice for inciting religious hatred, as she trampled on a cross during the concert.

The city prosecutor’s office earlier told RIA Novosti that all the applications concerning the alleged violations have been submitted for examination to the Interior Ministry’s regional department.

Earlier, Vitaly Milonov, a politician in St. Petersburg who drafted the city law restricting the promotion of homosexuality, said the performance was attended by NGOs that checked the concert’s compliance with morality regulations.

They recorded the event and said 12-year-old children were present, he said. Activists filed several applications with the police, seeking to declare Madonna in breach of the law. They claim that they were offended by her explicit support for homosexuality.