Amnesty hits out at discrimination

LONDON, November 21, 2005  –  A British member of the European Parliament has hit out at the homophobic attitudes being fostered in Poland under the new right-wing government – has has charged that the European Commission (EC) is “gutless”, while Amnesty International call for the Polish government to fulfil its obligations to sexual minorities under international human rights laws.
 

■ Baroness Ludford who charges the  European Commission: with  “gutless hypocrisy” over gay rights in Poland.

Baroness Sarah Ludford, Democrat European Justice spokeswoman and London MEP, is pressing the EC to take firm action against the Polish government in the wake of the trouble last weekend in Poznań when riot police intervened in a demonstration against the lessening of human rights, especially gays.

“Repressive and intolerant behaviour is quite rightly condemned when it takes place in a country seeking EU membership,” she said today.

“But when it occurs in an existing member state, a blind eye seems to be turned.

“This is gutless hypocrisy,” she charged.

Baroness Ludford, a member of the European Parliament’s gay and lesbian rights ‘intergroup’, also condemned the new Polish Prime Minister, Kazimierz Macinkiewicz, a Catholic fundamentalist, for proposing to abolish the equalities enforcement body the country’s Office of the Plenipotentiary for Equal Status which enforces equality for women and gay people – a body required under EU law.

Prime Minister Macinkiewicz was in London this week and yesterday avoided an Outrage! demonstration outside the building where he gave a talk to a ‘think tank’ by entering through a rear door.

Last June, Baroness Ludford, along with other members of the ‘intergroup’, asked the Commission to say whether the ban on an Equality Pride march in Warsaw in by the the Mayor of Warsaw, the former child film star and now president-elect of Poland, Lech Kaczynsk,i breached EU human rights principles.

The Commission said it was a matter for national law.

And the Council of Ministers, representing EU governments, admitted the the Council had never discussed this matte, adding that it was not “within the competence” of the EU institutions.

“The Polish situation shows the need for three things,” she suggested.

“There should be wider EU gay equality laws going beyond the current coverage of employment rights; a political willingness from Brussels to treat homophobic speech and actions as a severe breach of EU human rights principles; and infringement proceedings for failure to implement specific EU laws on workplace equality.”

Amnesty International has also joined the outcry against Poland and the increasing homophobia of its government.

In a statement, also issued today, Amnesty said it was “concerned about a climate of intolerance in Poland” against the LGBT community.

“[This is] characterised by the banning of public events organized by the LBGT community, openly homophobic language used by some highly placed politicians, and incitement of homophobic hatred by some right-wing groupings.

Amnesty hit out at some of the widely reported remarks that were shouted at demonstrators – many of who were gay – in Poznań last weekend.  Members of the ultra right-wing All Polish Youth shouted “Let’s gas the fags” and “We’ll do to you what Hitler did with Jews”.

“Amnesty International is concerned that the events in Poznań are not a one-off event, but part of a series of bans on events by the LGBT community,” the statement said.

“The Equality March in Poznań in November 2004 was interrupted when the police failed to provide protection to demonstrators from the members of the All Polish Youth who blocked the event; the Equality Parades in the capital, Warsaw, in June 2004 and again May 2005, were banned.”

“International law prohibits discrimination on any grounds and encourages states to introduce legislation that protects individuals from incitement to hatred,” Amnesty pointed out.  “In particular, both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms oblige states parties to guarantee all individuals the enjoyment of their human rights without discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Poland is a signatory to both these instruments and is fully bound by their provisions.

“Amnesty International calls on the Polish authorities to fulfil these obligations under international human rights law, including by explicitly prohibiting discrimination against sexual minorities, and investigating and penalizing all public expressions of incitement of hatred and intolerance against sexual minorities.

“Members of the government and other leading politicians should not only refrain from public homophobic remarks, but exercise leadership to ensure that the fundamental rights to freedom from discrimination, freedom of expression and freedom of association are actively promoted, and work to build a society where they can be enjoyed by all,” the statement concluded.

LINKS

Baroness Ludford website
Amnesty International UK website
Amnesty International worldwide website