Saudia Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, Jamaica, Russia...

Riot police broke up several gay rights demonstrations in Moscow on Saturday, hauling away scores of protesters hours before the capital hosted a major international pop music competition.

No injuries were reported, but the detentions could damage Russia's desire to be seen as a modern nation as it holds the finals of the Eurovision song contest, a cultural event televised around the world.

Equal treatment for gay citizens and tolerance of open homosexuality are, like a free press or democratic elections, identifying characteristics of healthy, stable, and just modern states. Russia is none of those thing. Lineout's Eurovision 2008 correspondents—Greit Verlinde and Terry Miller—saw this problem coming when Russia won Eurovision last year. (The winning country hosts the following year's contest.)

The only real smirch on this year's Eurovision is that a fascist political group made up of old guard politicians and new guard skin-heads, very popular in Serbia, volunteered to beat up and chase out of the country any and all gay fans that would show up for the competition. From what I have heard in news reports, it sounds like that didn't happen, but it's too bad that it had to even be threatened by the host country.

A bigger problem for Eurovision next year may be the fact that Russia won this year's competition. And if there could possibly be a country more fascistic and homophobic than Serbia, that country would be Russia.

This detail from the BBC raises existential issues...

Police in Russia have broken up a protest by gay rights activists in Moscow, staged to coincide with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Some 30 campaigners had gathered near a university in defiance of a ban on their march and many were dragged away by police when they shouted slogans.... A counter-demonstration by nationalist and religious groups was allowed to go ahead elsewhere in the Russian capital.

Can a demonstration really be described as a counter-demonstration if the demonstration that counter-demonstrators are there counter-demonstrating against isn't allowed to take place?

You can follow Eurovision developments—artistic and political—at Greit's blog. And here's hoping that some act from a sane country wins this year.

UPDATE: My wish comes true: The Norwegian violinist boy—the kid with the teeth, cheekbones, shaggy hair, and the apparent nosejob—won, so Eurovision 2010 will take place in the civilized world, in a sane liberal democracy. Fuck you, Russia. Here's the winning performance...

This year's winner looks a lot less plastic—and a bit less like a male Real Doll doll for Norwegian pedos—when he's not grinning like a maniac.