A safe space to celebrate the achievements of minorities in soccer was suddenly pulled by the company renting out the venue near the fan zone of the World Cup in St Petersburg.
The space named Diversity House was organised by several NGOs, with Piara Powar, executive director of the anti-exclusion FARE network saying the space was designed to celebrate diversity in in football, in light of concerns about racist chants at the World Cup and the human rights situation in Russia.
He says the decision to close the house was a political attack that shows how debates around human rights are curtailed by conservative forces within Russia.