The area around the Russian embassy in Oslo met the dawn on Wednesday painted in the colours of the rainbow, a long established symbol of gay pride.
Local media report that the white stripes of both crosswalks at the corner where the embassy is located suddenly had turned purple, pink, blue, green and yellow.
The stunt is believed to be part of international protests against Russia’s recent steps towards a stricter anti-homosexuality policy. In June, President Vladimir Putin signed a law which bans the adoption of children by gay or lesbian couples, as well as adoption by people who live in countries which tolerate homosexuality.
The new legislation received a broad negative outcry and has even led some to call of the boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Both Germany and France have expressed disapproval of the newly adopted law, with Berlin calling the treatment of homosexuals in Russia “unacceptable”.
According to Norwegian media reports, this is not the first time gay rights supporters allegedly paint zebra crossings around a Russian embassy in the colours of the rainbow. A similar protest took place also in Sweden during the Pride festival in Stockholm earlier this month.
It seems, however, that the issue of LGBT rights in Russia is turning more controversial in Norway, as it involved also a long-time Norwegian member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Gerhard Heiberg.
Norwegian news reports say that protesters are also are rising against Heiberg who has said that athletes who will participate in the Winter Olympics in Sochi next year won’t be allowed to carry rainbow flags in defiance of the Russian law. According to Heiberg, the athletes are expected to be in Sochi to compete in their sports, not to make political statements during the Olympics.