Stephen Fry retweeted an anti-gay parody video, made by an Irish artist in protest of the Vladimir Putin and the Sochi Olympics, to his 6 million followers yesterday.

Performer of The Putin Rap, actor Dermot Magennis – alter ego of spoof rapper His Emineminence – told The Independent.ie that he was “deliriously happy” with Fry’s endorsement.

“I am deliriously happy at such approval from a man of immense talent and such a passionate speaker on LGBT issues,” he said.

“We can only hope that this Stephen Fry’s endorsement will get the message out to the public on a massive scale”.

QI host Fry retweeted the video – a parody of Dr Dre and Eminem’s ‘Forgot About Dre’ with lyrics condemning the rampant homophobia of Vladimir Putin and the Sochi Olympics – to his 6.6 million followers yesterday afternoon.

Reports of police suppression and violence continue to mar the event. Yesterday, members of political punk group Pussy Riot were attacked with horsewhips by Cossack militia, for performing under a sign advertising the Sochi Olympics.