DISINFO: Brutal police intervention shows Moldova is a dictatorship under a rainbow flag
SUMMARY
A peaceful march in Moldova’s capital Chisinau in favour of traditional family values and against LGBT propaganda was interrupted by the brutal invertention of security forces. The images recorded at the place show police treating the demonstrators with violence, repressing them with brutal physical violence. If security forces in a country do not follow the law but political orders, it is not a democracy anymore but a dictatorship under a rainbow flag. The most important thing for the police is to comply with the order of president Maia Sandu who, instigated by Brussels, demands the LGBT parade to take place at any price, even if this means stumping on the Christian family values.
RESPONSE
This is a disingenuous attempt to exploit the incidents around the celebration of a Pride March in Moldova’s capital on 15 June 2025 in favour of pro-LGBTQ rights, in order to promote several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives against the European Union and Moldova’s president Maia Sandu. The ultimate goal is to shape the information environment ahead of the upcoming elections scheduled for September 2025.
The Pride March was harassed by demonstrators gathered by pro-Russian Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) despite authorities having designed different routes to avoid any confrontation. Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, the images do not show a “brutal intervention” by security forces. While police officers can be seen pushing demonstrators, they did not beat protesters nor attack them. In fact, police officers intervened only after these demonstrators tried to break the cordon separating both mobilisations.
The allegation made in this disinformation story appeals to homophobic views among the audience, falsely framing local pro-LGBTQ activities as an EU imposition against “national” or “Christian” values. The exploitation of homophobia is a well-established pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that EU HRVP Kaja Kallas brought equipment to Moldova to suppress protests, that the EU wants to use Moldova's territory for its anti-Russian geopolitical interests, that the EU encourages censorship in Moldova, or that Moldova’s jailing of political opponents shows it is a democracy in name only.