Exploitation of homophobia for political ends by Moldova's Communist Party
Written declaration
No.
512
| Doc. 12910
| 10 July 2012
- Signatories:
- Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON,
Sweden, SOC ; Ms Tina ACKETOFT,
Sweden, ALDE ; Ms Najat ALASTAL,
Palestinian National Council ; Mr Mörður ÁRNASON,
Iceland, SOC ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON,
Sweden, SOC ; Ms Doris BARNETT,
Germany, SOC ; Mr Robert BIEDROŃ,
Poland, SOC ; Lord Tim BOSWELL,
United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Tor BREMER,
Norway, SOC ; Ms Viola von CRAMON-TAUBADEL,
Germany, SOC ; Ms Alena GAJDŮŠKOVÁ,
Czech Republic, SOC ; Mr Jean-Charles GARDETTO,
Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Carina HÄGG,
Sweden, SOC ; Mr Håkon HAUGLI,
Norway, SOC ; Ms Athina KYRIAKIDOU,
Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Kerstin LUNDGREN,
Sweden, ALDE ; Mr Arminas LYDEKA,
Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Nicole MANZONE-SAQUET,
Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Sonja MIRAKOVSKA,
''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON,
Sweden, SOC ; Ms Mette REISSMANN,
Denmark, SOC ; Mr Christoph STRÄSSER,
Germany, SOC ; Ms Anette TRETTEBERGSTUEN,
Norway, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN,
Denmark, UEL ; Mr Eric VORUZ,
Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Gisela WURM,
Austria, SOC ; Mr Vladimir ZHIDKIKH,
Russian Federation, EDG
- Thesaurus
This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.
On 23 February 2012, the Communist Party-led city council
of Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, decided to “prohibit aggressive
propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientations in demonstrations,
propaganda which the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova
are seeking to impose on the municipality”. The move came in response
to government proposals to introduce anti-discrimination legislation
that would protect sexual orientation.
Shortly afterwards, Vladimir Voronin, former President of
Moldova and leader of the Communist Party, made a speech calling
homosexuality “an abomination” and urging the country to “rebel”
against LGBT people. “Let each municipality declare itself free
from this nonsense which has been imported from Europe,” he said.
Since then, three town and three district councils, all Communist
Party-led, have adopted similar provisions.
We condemn these manifestly discriminatory decisions, Mr Voronin’s
use of “hate speech”, and the Communist Party’s use of homophobia
as a political weapon.
We call on:
- Mr Voronin
to end his attacks on LGBT people;
- the Moldovan Communist Party to withdraw the aforementioned
decisions;
- the Moldovan Government to challenge their legality, if
they are not withdrawn;
- all Moldovan political parties to support the introduction
of anti-discrimination legislation, including sexual orientation
and gender identity as protected grounds.