Canada summons Russian ambassador after 'hateful' LGBTQ tweets

Canadian foreign minister on Monday directed her officials to summon Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov over series of anti-LGBTQ tweets which included one aimed at an openly lesbian federal minister.

The embassy posted the messages on Twitter in recent days after Russian lawmakers approved a bill banning all forms of LGBTQ "propaganda" that critics say ramps up a crackdown on "non-traditional" sexual relationships, affecting everything from books and films to social media posts.

"Unsurprisingly, the Russians have once again chosen hateful propaganda," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly's deputy director of communications, Emily Williams, said in a statement.

"This is an attack on the Canadian values of acceptance and tolerance. Minister Joly has directed Global Affairs Canada to summon the Russian ambassador to tell him as much," she said.

A photo illustration was included in Russian tweets which included a pride flag overlaid with a red line inside a red circle, indicating it was banned. The accompanying remarks said,"It is all about family. Family is a man and a woman and children."

The Russian embassy also targetted Canada's Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge, who is openly lesbian. The tirade came after she objected to the "Russian homophobic propaganda."

She was asked to "explore and explain how you appeared in this world?"

"We absolutely can't tolerate this rhetoric and even less the subsequent comments on Minister St-Onge's response," Williams said.

In an email to AFP, St-Onge said she was "profoundly offended by the Russian ambassador's message against homosexuals while on Canadian soil," calling it "an affront to the hard-earned rights of the whole LGBTQ2S+ community."

(With inputs from agencies)

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