Beijing Police Raid Gay Hangout

Beijing police raided a popular park where gay men meet and detained dozens for questioning over the weekend as part of a security sweep in advance of a national holiday.

According to the Associated Press, "At least 80 gay men were taken away from a park in the capital's Haidian district by police during night raids on Saturday and Sunday, said Guo Ziyang, a project manager with the Beijing Working Group of Gay Movement, a non-governmental group that promotes gay rights.

"The men were brought to the police station where they were questioned and asked to show their identity cards, said Guo, who interviewed several of the men. He added that there were rumors that some men were made to take blood tests."

The AP reports that the Global Times newspaper said police officers and SWAT teams stormed Mudanyuan Park for a security inspection before National Day on October 1, which commemorates the start of Communist rule in 1949. It was not clear what regulations the men in the park would have violated.