The protesters held placards demanding "Compensate gay victims of Nazism".

They were greeted with a friendly smile and a wave from British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, as he entered Lancaster House.

"Robin Cook's friendliness was surprising because the Foreign Office has opposed gay participation in the conference", said Peter Tatchell of OutRage!.

"Invitations were refused to the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations and to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

"In contrast, Jewish and Gypsy groups were officially encouraged to participate, and are attending.

"We are angry that gay organizations have been excluded. Any decisions taken by this conference should reflect the just claims of everyone persecuted by the Nazis, including gay people", said Mr. Tatchell.

"Where the owners of looted gold cannot be traced, it should be used to compensate holocaust victims who have been refused reparations by the German government, including East European Jews, slave laborers, and gay people.

"Some of the gold should be set aside to finance memorials, educational programs, and museums in honor of forgotten victims of Nazism, such as Gypsies, the disabled, homosexuals, and black people."

OutRage! is proposing that gay community groups should receive a share of the looted gold, to finance a gay holocaust memorial and museum, educational films about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals for distribution to schools, and a hardship fund to support elderly gay holocaust survivors.

Outrage! contends that its direct action campaigns often have desirable results.

The organization has used direct action and stopped police harassment of gay and bisexual men. Its publication explains:

"Years of polite negotiations with the police had done little to lessen victimization. Because dialogue wasn't working, from 1990 onwards OutRage! felt that direct action was the only realistic alternative. We began invading police stations, busting police entrapment operations, publicly identifying undercover agent provocateurs, warning cottagers and cruisers with leaflets and stickers, and deafening New Scotland Yard with foghorns and whistles. Suddenly the police sat up and listened. Working alongside a wide variety of other queer organizations, we demanded that the police create an official lesbian and gay community liaison forum where our constructive proposals could be discussed. We succeeded in radically changing police priorities, from persecution to protection (against queerbashers). The result of our actions? Between 1990 and 1994 the number of men convicted for consenting gay behavior fell by two thirds. So we saved thousands of a gay men and bisexual men from being hauled up before the courts for victimless 'crimes'."

OutRage! also takes up the cases of individuals suffering discrimination.