Gay rights activists vowed to go ahead with a gay pride demonstration in Moscow this weekend, despite a ban by the city authorities.

"No illegal decisions by the authorities or court decisions will stop us from holding our demonstration," organiser Nikolai Alexeyev, one of Russia's leading gay rights activists, told reporters.

"We will hold it on Saturday, May 29 (today) in any circumstances, whether or not there is a court decision in our favour."

Moscow city authorities, led by openly homophobic mayor Yury Luzhkov, have repeatedly refused permission for gay pride parades and previous attempts to stage such events have been thwarted by police.

Mr Luzhkov has called gay pride parades "Satanic" and argued that Russia is not ready for such events.

Activists have asked the authorities for permission to hold a gay pride event in Moscow every year since 2006.

This year they made their fifth attempt, but were again denied. A Moscow court on Thursday upheld the city's ban, Mr Alexeyev said, adding that organisers have lodged an appeal.

The unsanctioned protest will take place in front of the Moscow offices of the European Commission, Mr Alexeyev said.

He accused the EC and ambassadors of Western countries of "hypocrisy" after he said they had refused to host the event on the grounds of one of their embassies, a tactic organisers had attempted to use to circumvent the ban.

International activists flanked Mr Alexeyev at a news conference, including Britain's Peter Tatchell of the Outrage! campaign group and openly gay German lawmaker Volker Beck.

Both Mr Tatchell and Mr Beck were beaten up by anti-gay counter-demonstrators while attending previous gay pride events in Moscow.