Poland rejects international criticism over LGBT rights

September 28, 2020 Article

Polish leaders have rejected suggestions that LGBT people are deprived of any of their rights in the country.

The rejection follows an open letter from 50 ambassadors and international representatives citing a need to work for “non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual acceptance”.

The ambassadors’ appeal comes as an increasingly visible LGBT community in Poland has faced a backlash from the right-wing government, many local communities and the Catholic church.

“Human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTI persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment,” the letter said, using the acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he agreed that every person deserves respect but that he completely disagreed with the ambassadors’ claim that LGBT people were being deprived of that.

Mr Morawiecki said at a news conference: “To the dear ambassadors, I can only say that tolerance belongs to Polish DNA. Nobody needs to teach us tolerance, because we are a nation that has learned such tolerance for centuries and we have given many testimonies to the history of such tolerance.”

Some of Poland’s leaders, including the president and MPs from the ruling party, have cast the movement for civil rights for LGBT people as a threat to traditional families. President Andrzej Duda won a second term this summer after calling LGBT rights an “ideology” more dangerous than communism.

Meanwhile, dozens of towns in conservative parts of eastern and southern Poland have passed mostly symbolic resolutions declaring themselves to be free from “LGBT ideology”. Many of the declarations express the view that young people will be demoralised if confronted by the issue.

“Human Rights are not an ideology – they are universal,” US ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted. “50 Ambassadors and Representatives agree.”

Joachim Brudzinski, deputy head of the ruling Law and Justice party who is now a European Parliament member, shot back at Ms Mosbacher on Monday, saying “we in Poland also agree”.

“Therefore, we are waiting with hope for the next letter, this time in defence of murdered Christians, imprisoned #ProLife activists, people dismissed from work and persecuted for quoting the Bible, people subjected to euthanasia against their will,” he wrote on Twitter, along with some other examples of alleged abuse of Christians.

It was not exactly clear what Mr Brudzinski was referring to. Poland is a predominantly Catholic nation where Christians do not face persecution and where abortion is illegal in most cases and euthanasia is outlawed. In one case, however, an IKEA employee in Poland was fired for citing Biblical passages to suggest gay people should be killed. The current government has spoken in the employee’s defence and a state prosecutor is suing the IKEA manager who fired him.

READ: The Changing Face of Hate in Poland: From Antisemitism to Anti-Muslim Racism

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Categories: Christians, human rights, International criticism, News, Polish Prime Minister

Malaysia orders removal of LGBT activist pictures from exhibition

August 9, 2018 Article

A Malaysian minister on Wednesday said he had ordered the removal of portraits of two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists from a public photography exhibition, as they promoted LGBT activities.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is routinely persecuted in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime and is seen as a threat to conservative values.

Domestic media quoted Mujahid Yusof Rawa, the minister of Islamic affairs, as saying he ordered the removal from an exhibition in the northern state of Penang because promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities was not in line with government policy.

“I have consistently repeated in parliament that we do not support the promotion of LGBT culture in Malaysia,” he told reporters in the lobby of parliament, the Star newspaper said.

Reuters could not reach the minister by telephone after office hours to seek a comment.

Nisha Ayub, one of the activists whose portrait was removed, expressed concern, asking for the government to explain its stance “towards minorities like us”.

“They talk about rights as a citizen of Malaysia but yet they are denying people like me to even express our love to our own country,” Nisha, a transgender activist, said in a post on social media site Facebook.

On social media, the sponsor of the exhibition also expressed shock at the minister’s move.

“False religiosity and political insecurity is not what the New Malaysia is about and can accept,” said Vinod Sekhar, adding that Malaysia’s diversity, acceptance of differences and human values made it a wonderful country.

Activists say intolerance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has grown in Malaysia in recent years.

In February, a newspaper article detailing how to identify lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals sparked outrage on social media.

Last year, the health ministry drew criticism from activists and campaigners over a contest on ways to “prevent” homosexuality and transgenderism. In 2015, Malaysia’s highest court upheld a ban on cross-dressing.

Ruling party lawmakers were among those who criticised Wednesday’s decision.

“This incident is indicative of a larger issue, where we continue to deny the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community their rights, opting instead to marginalize and discriminate them,” said Charles Santiago, a member of the ruling coalition.

On Monday, Mujahid provoked anger from women’s rights groups when he said the government was working on a dress code for Muslim women in the private sector to keep them from facing discrimination.

The non-profit Women’s Aid Organization said it rejected efforts to police women’s clothing and freedom of expression.

“Restricting what women wear is, in and of itself, discriminatory, and this policy would end up discriminating against women who do not conform to the code,” it said in a statement.

Muslims make up 60 percent of Malaysia’s population of 32 million, with substantial Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities.

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Categories: gay, human rights, lesbian, LGBTQ, Malaysia, News, photography exhibition, transgender

Jerusalem Gay Pride parade marches amid tight security

August 3, 2018 Article

Some 20,000 people turned out on Thursday for Jerusalem’s annual Gay Pride parade, flanked by police officers after threats by some Jewish activists to disrupt the celebration.

They waved rainbow flags and a few Israeli ones with rainbow motifs as they processed through the Jewish part of Jerusalem on a march that went off largely without incident.

Ultra-Orthodox right-wing Jewish protesters, who were kept on the sidelines well away from the march, held up banners, including one that read: “Do not anger the God of Israel.”

In 2015, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stabbed a 16-year-old girl to death and wounded five others and was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison. A rally at the end of Thursday’s parade opened with a minute’s silence to honour the girl, Shira Banki.

Parade participants protested against legislation enacted last month that denies gay male couples equal rights for support in surrogacy.

“I think this surrogacy law is a symbol of inequality and (shows) that the government has still failed to realise that the LGBTQ community in Israel is equal to anybody,” said Ofer Erez of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance which organised the parade.

“We are here today to stop asking for equality and start demanding it.”

The post Jerusalem Gay Pride parade marches amid tight security appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Jerusalem, LGBTQ, LGBTQI, March, News, Pride

Hungarian top court overturns village’s ban on mosques and LGBT displays

April 12, 2017 Article

The Constitutional Court of Hungary has overturned a ban on building mosques and Islamic headscarves in the village of Ásotthalom, two hours from the capital Budapest.

László Toroczkai, mayor of Ásotthalom, and vice president of the staunchly antisemitic far-right party Jobbik gained international notoriety following news of the ban. His ban also included a homophobic censure on the promotion of equal marriage.

Hungary’s commissioner for fundamental rights pushed for a constitutional challenge, and the court ruled that it aimed “to limit directly the freedom of conscience and religion, as well freedom of speech”.

The measures had been in place since November. And it sought came off the back of the refugee and migrant crisis affecting parts of Europe.

A BBC investigation also found links between Mr. Toroczkai and the British far-right. He told Victoria Derbyshire that: “He [Jim Dowson] came to Asotthalom a few times as a private individual, just to have a look. Nick Griffin also came with him.” This was confirmed in a post on Dowson’s Knights Templar International website.

On Mr. Torockzai’s official Facebook page, the antisemitism, homophobia, and anti-Muslim hatred are easy to find. On April 6, he posted in English, that: “The Visegrad Cooperation, which is built upon the unbreakable Hungarian-Polish friendship, will save Europe. All those who don’t believe in this should watch this video, in which Polish youngsters say no to the islamization of Europe. The Polish-Hungarian axis is as strong now as it used to be in the past centuries. It is indestructible.”

In previous homophobic statements, Mr. Toroczkai has ranted against the perceived ‘homosexual agenda’.

An antisemitic post crudely depicted the Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and philanthropist George Soros as an octopus – evoking Nazi-era propaganda.

In a broader sense, however, this rhetoric is the bluster behind an egregious and illiberal clampdown on Soros-funded projects in parts of Eastern Europe.

Hungary has faced renewed criticism for a law that is said to target a major Budapest university. Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hungary’s capital to protest this proposed law. Nor does this obsession with Soros only sit within the extremes of Hungarian politics.

The Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the university a ‘fraud,’ adding that “in Hungary, one cannot be above the law — even if you’re a billionaire.” Supporters of the Prime Minister are increasingly convinced that Soros intends to change the fundamental religious identity of Hungary by ‘flooding’ it with Muslim refugees. In other parts of Eastern Europe, this anti-Soros posturing can be found in the rhetoric of the former authoritarian leader of Macedonia, and in the actions of the current Macedonian government.This extends to Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Serbia. Poland’s ruling party is considering legislation to clamp down on Soros-funded groups.

 

The post Hungarian top court overturns village’s ban on mosques and LGBT displays appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Antisemitism, homophobia, Jobbik, News

Trump’s Presidency Must be a Presidency for All

January 20, 2017 Article

It is not just Muslims living in the US who are apprehensive about the future. Hispanic, LGBT, Jewish and other groups have also raised their fears about a Trump presidency though, there are some within these communities who have joined the Trump bandwagon. Of those who have engaged with Trump’s campaigns and administration, they do so knowing that Trump has no political experience since he has never held political office, yet he has got this far and that cannot be brushed aside.

What is clear is that Trump’s future is based on being a President for all communities and he cannot be seen to be partisan and divisive, which is easy to say, giving his penchant for 140 characters on Twitter and statements that have reduced trust in him from some minority groups, whilst lambasting mainstream press agencies in the US. His recent outburst at CNN for promoting ‘fake news’ left many aghast and showed a combative approach that does not instil and build confidence on a wider level. The more Trump is seen to be aggressive on camera, the greater the polarisation of opinions about him, not only in the US, but across the globe. This is not good for national stability and instability means that community tensions will come out to the foreground.

Nor can we simply write off Trump as someone who simply tapped into disaffection to win the Presidency. His ability to ‘speak to’ and play on the fears of marginalised white (and other) communities in the US, means that he has a base and an audience which he can rally when he wants and particularly when Trump can’t get his own way.

The next four years will certainly be turbulent, yet they will also be exciting. There is, however, one thing we can be certain of. America will continue to be divided along lines of race, economic deprivation and social exclusion. If Trump can reduce the impacts of the last two, he can start to try and address the deep racial divides that coarse within rural America. These are fault-lines that seem intractable, but with vision, energy, a willingness to listen and reaching out to communities, anything can be overcome.

So its “goodbye Obama” and “hello Trump”.

The post Trump’s Presidency Must be a Presidency for All appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: CNN, Fake News, Hispanics, News, President, Trump

Appropriating Tragedies to Promote Further Bigotry – the LGBT Stockton on Tees March

July 17, 2016 Article
Tommy English

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Anyone coming across this page would rightly think that this silent march was something that would not only show solidarity against the senseless murder of so many people enjoying a night out in the US, it would also provide an opportunity for communities to come together.

Far Right fronts

Nothing on this Facebook page would point to the motives behind such a page and where community issues are being appropriated as potential fronts to draw in people who may have some deeply questionable views. A further investigation into this page shows that the organiser of the event is one ‘Tommy’. A further drill down into the background of the organiser brings forward the following, someone named Tommy English.

Tommy

Tommy English proudly lists ‘Kafir’ in Arabic in his Twitter profile, a good indicator that we are looking at someone who may have sympathies with anti-Muslim views. Further information that we have received has highlighted Tommy English as Tommy Cook, the former leader of the EDL’s LGBT Division.

The number of people with far right sympathies who have ‘Kafir’ in their social media accounts is substantive and we also highlighted the link between the high number of far right activists involved in anti-Muslim hatred online recently in our 2015 Tell MAMA annual report. 

The link between far right activism and online hatred against Muslims is extremely troubling and spiked again in 2015.

Tommy English

A further glance at English’s Twitter account shows the terms #Pegida and #Shariawatch indicating strong sympathies with the anti-Muslim group Pegida and sympathies with ShariaWatch, run by one Anne  Marie Waters. Waters recently became involved with Pegida, which is headed up by Paul Weston, who has previously said the following:

“If I want to avoid a civil war happening in my country, I am prepared to accept being called a racist“

Waters has also been caught making the following statements and which were reported in the Daily Mirror in early 2015:

“Ms Waters, who hopes to become MP for Lewisham East, South East London, was also filmed telling an undercover reporter “a lot of people need to be deported” and “many mosques need to be closed down”.

What is also interesting to note is that Waters will be speaking at this march organised by English.

Supporting and Standing in Solidarity with Other Communities

It is only right and moral to stand with other communities and Jewish and LGBT communities have recently been targeted for terrorist atrocities. Standing with, empathising and ensuring our joint security is key as is standing up for each other when targeted.

If you would like to support organisations working on equality and LGBT issues, we would urge you to support great organisations like the Peter Tatchell Foundation, Stonewall and Galop.

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The post Appropriating Tragedies to Promote Further Bigotry – the LGBT Stockton on Tees March appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: #WeStandwithOrlando, Anne Marie Waters, Far Right groups, Galop, LGBT rally, Muslim, News, Paul Weston, Sharia Watch, Stockton on Tees, Stonewall, Tommy English

5-Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for US embassy

April 25, 2016 Article

Gay Rights Activist - Bangladesh

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Suspected Islamist militants hacked to death a leading Bangladeshi gay rights activist employed by the U.S. embassy and a friend in an apartment in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday, police said.

The killings took place two days after a university professor was slain in similar fashion on Saturday in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

Five or six assailants went to the apartment of Xulhaz Mannan, 35, an editor of Rupban, Bangladesh’s first magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender people, and attacked him and a friend with sharp weapons, Dhaka city police spokesman Maruf Hossain Sordar said.

They entered the apartment disguised as couriers, he said, quoting witnesses.

The assailants also wounded a security guard. Witnesses said the attackers shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest)” as they fled the scene.

Mannan was employed by the U.S. embassy, working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the State Depertment in Washington said.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was “outraged” by the “barbaric attack.” He called Mannan, “a beloved member of our embassy family and a courageous advocate for LGBTI rights – human rights, actually.”

“LGBTI” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex.

A spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, Ned Price, said the United States strongly urged the Bangladeshi government to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice.

Other attacks took place in the country on Monday, but it was not immediately clear whether those assaults were carried out by Islamist militants.

Two men on a motorcycle shot dead a former prison guard in front of Kashimpur jail, on the outskirts of Dhaka, said Khandakar Rezaul Hasan, chief of the local police station.

A teacher was hacked to death in the southwestern district of Kustia, police said.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a surge in violent attacks over the past few months in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted.

Five secular bloggers and a publisher have been hacked to death in Bangladesh since February 2015.

A group affiliated with al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the killing of a liberal Bangladeshi blogger this month.

Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for the killings of two foreigners and attacks on mosques and Christian priests in Bangladesh since September.

The government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda groups have a presence in the country and said homegrown Islamist radicals are behind the attacks.

At least five militants have been killed in shootouts since November as security forces have stepped up a crackdown on Islamist militants looking to establish a Muslim state based on sharia, or Islamic religious law.

The post 5-Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for US embassy appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Al Qaeda, attempted murder, Bangladesh, Bangladeshi Blogger, Islamic State, News, Rupban, Xulhaz Mannan

Hate Crimes and Intersectionality of Language

January 20, 2015 Article

Sitting at the Diamond Hate Crime meeting of Scotland Yard and cogitating about the nature of where hate crimes are today. According to mapped data, in 2014 there was an increase in anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and race hate crimes. Trans and disability hate crimes exceptionally low showing that much more work has to be done to ensure the confidence of these communities.

Also been tasked with conducting an on-line review of hate crime reporting processes and their handling within the MET. An area of work that we have been grappling with and where social media companies have been woefully unwilling to tackle some of the most persistent and pernicious of hate promoting accounts. We can only but keep trying as they say!

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Categories: Hate Crimes, MyBlog