The Mi Amore convention was closed by organisers early on Saturday after officers arrived at the venue in the Russian capital, despite police being unable to find evidence of illegal activity.
“The police received a complaint claiming that our event promoted non-traditional relationships and related symbols, adult content for minors, and general horror and darkness,” event organisers wrote on Russian social media site VK Sunday. “Two police checks did not uphold these complaints.”
They said police initially asked them to close the event a few hours earlier than originally planned, but that organisers decided to close the convention earlier still after hearing unconfirmed reports of more officers heading toward the venue. Both organisers and volunteers were able to leave without incident, they said.
The convention, which features an animated horse with a mane styled in the colours of the Russian flag as its logo, catered to My Little Pony’s subset of adult fans and planned to feature live music performances as well as stalls selling merchandise.
Russian film database Kinopoisk changed its rating for the animated series to an adult-only “18+” in December 2023, local news outlets reported, not long after a Russian court declared the “global LGBTQ movement” to be an extremist organisation.
First Russians jailed over rainbow items after LGBTQ ‘movement’ outlawed
First Russians jailed over rainbow items after LGBTQ ‘movement’ outlawed
Although no reason was given for the change, viewers speculated that the decision could be linked to the character Rainbow Dash, whose multicoloured mane and tail are similar to the LGBTQ pride flag. The show also released an episode that featured a same-sex couple in 2019.
Russian laws prohibit public displays of symbols of extremist organisations, and at least three people who displayed rainbow-coloured items have received prison sentences or fines since the ruling.