For the Canadian foreign minister, the homophobic messages published by the Russian embassy’s account are an “attack on Canadian values ​​of acceptance and tolerance”.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly asked her services Monday to summon Russian Ambassador Oleg Stepanov to Ottawa after a number of anti-LGBT+ tweets, including one targeting an openly lesbian federal minister, were subpoenaed.

News posted by the Russian Embassy’s Twitter account reflects the Duma’s passage last week of a bill banning all LGBT+ “propaganda” or “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” to all audiences, in the media, in the Internet, in books and other countries bans movies.

“Russians have once again chosen hate propaganda,” said Emily Williams, spokeswoman for Melanie Joly.

“This is an attack on Canadian values ​​of acceptance and tolerance. Minister Joly asked the department to invite the Russian Ambassador to deliver this message to him,” she added.

“An Attack on Basic Human Rights”

The Russian tweets included a photo of a rainbow flag crossed out with a red line and accompanied by comments. “It’s all about family. Family is a man, a woman and children.”

The embassy also attacked openly lesbian Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge after she denounced “Russian homophobic propaganda”.

In particular, the minister had stated that “the treatment of LGBT+ people in Russia is a disgrace and an attack on fundamental human rights”.

“We cannot tolerate this rhetoric, much less the comments made about Minister St-Onge,” Canada’s Foreign Ministry said.