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LAST UPDATE | 24 Jun 2021
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said that Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law threatens EU “fundamental rights” and the “pressure” needs to be put on the member state.
Ahead of an EU Council meeting in Brussels today and tomorrow, the leaders of 16 EU countries, including Martin, signed a letter defending the rights of LGBTQ people.
Another of the signatories, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said that Hungary should not be in EU because of the new law.
“For me, Hungary has no place in the EU anymore,” Rutte told journalists ahead of the summit.
“But I’m not the only one to decide this: there are 26 other (EU countries). This has to be done step by step,” he added.
The focus on gender and sexuality freedoms in Europe comes after the Hungarian parliament passed a law which bans LGBTQ references in school educational materials.
Hungary, an EU member state, is led right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban whose authoritarian politics have become increasingly at odds with the EU’s stated values.
Orban defended the law as he arrived at the EU summit, which is increasingly dominated by growing controversy over the issue.
“This is not against homosexuality, any sexual interference. It’s not about homosexuals,” Orban said.
“It’s about the right of the kids and the parents,” he said, adding that he would not withdraw the legislation despite the public criticism by most of his EU counterparts.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Orban’s anti-LGBTQ law “wrong” while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen branded the legislation “a shame”.
Without directly mentioning Hungary, today’s letter signed by the heads of state ahead of an EU summit deplored the “threats against fundamental rights, and in particular the principle of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation”.
Speaking in Brussels this morning the Taoiseach said there has to be “strong moral pressure from the rest of Europe on what has transpired” in Hungary.
He said that “it is not just about sending a signal but sending a very clear message” about European values.
In addition to that, every avenue has to be explored in terms of the legal framework in Europe to pursue this issue. Moral pressure does matter but also asserting European values matters on an issue so fundamental as this.
He added that there are “fundamental rights” around diversity that are celebrated in Ireland and that this is important that these are “asserted and articulated strongly and that Hungry hears that”.
The issue was brought to wider public consciousness in the past week as part of the Euro 2020 football tournament.
Anti-LGBTQ banners were seen during a match in the Hungarian capital Budapest and ahead of Germany’s match with Hungary last night UEFA refused a request by illuminate Munich’s Allianz Arena in rainbow colours.
Uefa defended its decision, saying that the request from Munich mayor Dieter Reiter was rejected because it was politically motivated.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney told the Dáil today that UEFA “showed cowardice” by not agreeing to a request. He said the issue is not about politics but “human rights”.
“That’s why I agree with Deputy Griffin that UEFA showed cowardice on this issue in my view. UEFA have done great work in terms of trying to stamp out racism in football, as indeed of many other sporting organisations and this natural extension of that,” he said.
To also be vocal around the need to protect and respect diversity and minorities in the context of people’s sexual preferences in the LGBTQI+ community.
The controversy will likely be raised during a summit working dinner in Brussels later today
The signatories are the leaders of the following countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who sometime aligns with Orban on social issues, was missing, but his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel said on Twitter that Kurz “also joined us this morning with his signature”.
- With reporting by Christina Finn and © – AFP 2021
The end is near from the US backed rats in Aleppo. Neighbourhood after neighbourhood is falling today as the Islamist Neanderthals run away. Finally we are seeing civilians flee from their hostage situation as the terrorist are running so fast they have no time to shoot civilians who are fleeing from them.
You might want to update your article, thousands of civilian are now fleeing to government held areas as rebel lines collapse. I wonder how the western media is going to report this as it, it doesn’t fit their propaganda they’ve been spewing for the last year on Aleppo.
If the Assad regime is so bad according to the Western media then why is everyone running to safety in their area of control? Surely the US backed “moderate” rebels are their saviours, right?
Simple survival. Dont think anyone is launching constant air strikes etc into government held areas.
I don’t think Assad’s forces are chopping the heads off 12 y.o boys either.
@Pat O’Dwyer: CIA Still Supplies TOW Missiles To ‘Rebel Group’ That Beheaded Child Near Aleppo and Filmed This.
Syrian “moderate rebel group” Nour al-Din al-Zenki became widely known past July after beheading a child near Aleppo city and posting the video (CAUTION GRAPHIC FOOTAGE) of this. Initially, some mainstream media (for exmaple BBC) attempted to defend the ‘moderate opposition group’, explaining that it was a “mistake” and an isolated case. [Indeed it was not a msitake, Nour al-Din al-Zenki members continue to behead their opponents].
However, under the pressure of public opinion, the US State Department was pushed to announce that the US may consider to withdraw its support for “rebels” if reports of beheading of 14-year old boy are confirmed. Let’s give a word to State Department spokesman Mark Toner:
https://southfront.org/cia-still-supplies-tow-missiles-to-rebel-group-that-beheaded-child-near-aleppo-and-filmed-this/
@Pat O’Dwyer:
WWIII ?
Media Blackout: House of Reps passes ‘No-Fly Zone in Syria’ bill during special session with rules suspended.
Hillary Clinton’s loss was a shock to the purveyors of U.S. military hegemony, who saw in her an easier path to keep the Syria conflict going. Secretary of State Clinton was instrumental in the early days of Syria intervention, in 2010 making a series of demands for Syria to get in line behind the U.S. vision for the Middle East.
When Bashar al-Assad refused to roll over, regime change became the talking point of Washington think tanks and mainstream media echo chambers. Clinton promised during her campaign to ramp up action in Syria, to the delight of the same neocons who brought the Iraq invasion. She acknowledged that many civilians would die if the U.S. set up a no-fly zone.
Establishment of a no-fly zone is the next crucial step toward full-scale war. It would mean Syrian planes could not fly in their own airspace and would bring the disturbing prospect of U.S. planes shooting down Russian planes — which are operating there on invitation from Syria to help battle ISIS.
Soon after the presidential election, key warmongers in Congress began formulating plans to make increased conflict a near certainty, complete with the kind of propaganda peddled before the Iraq attack. While everyone was distracted by the election of Trump, six representatives took advantage of the lame-duck session and suspended “normal rules” to bring us H.R. 5732.
https://www.sott.net/article/334894-Media-Blackout-House-of-Reps-passes-No-Fly-Zone-in-Syria-bill-during-special-session-with-rules-suspended
That’s a well thought out response Brian.
BARACK OBAMA got a noble peace prize!! Remember. That???? I suggest the Novel Committee members to put a 10 year minimum hiatus before they consider applicants in future as this Warlord Obama has turned into a real bad egg!!!!!
# NOBEL Committee….. Typos don’t do favours to me!
Oh dear! If any normal readers are in doubt that Putinbots aren’t spamming the Journal, ask yourself why Charlie’s non-partisan comment got red-thumbed to hell. MUST NOT ALLOW DISSENTING LOGIC, COMRADES. KEEP TROLLING!!!
It’s interesting the article doesn’t state whether the families are fleeing from ISIS or the moderate rebels.
Maybe they were just fleeing to safety and couldn’t give a fcuk who they are?
You mean ISIS or Al Qaeda!
Deery me, how is the BBC going to report on the imminent defeat of it’s beloved and rebranded “moderate rebels” in East Aleppo. Especially, after all the hard work they’ve done in promoting this distorted propaganda myth in the first place.
The so called “moderate rebels” in East Aleppo are at best Muslim Brotherhood extremist’s and at worst, head hacking, sharia law loving fanatics.
Hopefully, when these Islamist fanatics are defeated; some sort of ceasefire will prevail between Syrian Govt. forces and legitimate opposition groups and unite against the other Islamist “moderate rebels” in Raqqa.
You can see the muck from the Guardian already today. According to them people are going government areas due to starvation, the air assault or because of the SAA advance. They are beyond
pathetic at this stage. No mention that people are fleeing the head hacking terrorists that held them captive in Islamist controlled districts. The Guardian no longer allowed comments on articles related to Syria which says it all. The lies and propaganda they spouted on a regular basis was debunked by most commentators so censorship was their answer to that problem.
Or maybe the Grauniad’s moderators got so fed up of removing endless automated posts fed non-stop by what are so obviously Kremlin shills (ALWAYS the same messages; ALWAYS deflection/whataboutery; ALWAYS on the same topics) that they gave up out of sheer boredom. The Journal is one of the few places they can still get away with it – mind you, a load of normal readers seem to avoid Syria articles these days, can only assume they got fed up with being spammed by the Putinbots.
Harry your rant is pathetic, if its not Shinnerbots it’s now Putinbots to label the many people who don’t believe the rubbish of established media outlets in Ireland and the rest in general. The Guardian was and is publishing pure and utter rubbish with no evidence whatsoever and and nearly 90% of comments were challenging their lies and highlighting the falsities they were making, especially in relation to the so called “rebels”, who are head hacking savages for the most part.
LMAO, whataboutery and links to pro-Kremlin blogs =/= ‘challenging’ anything.
I have not educated myself on the various groups in this city but isn’t it absolutely abominable that schools and hospitals have been deliberately targeted.
It’s called extermination of human civilians. Barbaric and criminal.
No words of condemnation from the Pope. Understandable since the civilian victims are not Roman Catholics.
The Pope has being calling for a ceasefire for months now and as recently 18 of November has commented on it. It might be because there are Christians caught up with Muslims in the bloodbath. Then again it might just be down to not wanting to see civilians of any faith getting slaughtered.
@Brian Ward: he originally called for a cease fire before the mass killings started. Now he remains mute in the face of a war crime.
@Micheal OLainn: I don’t see why you’re having a go at the Pope seeing as the atrocities that are being carried out are for the most part committed by Muslim fanatics. I can’t see them suddenly listening to the head of the Catholic Church anytime soon and deciding to fold up their tents and buggering off back to the Dark Ages. Now if the heads of Qatar, Saudi, Turkey and the US/NATO allies said something or even stopped supporting these terrorists then maybe something might happen.
Come to think of it the Dalai Lama has been very quiet about the whole war, maybe you should have a go at him as well!
It seems that not even children are innocent.
Dark days ahead for the people of Aleppo and don’t show much mercy from the Russians either. They just want to get the job done and go home to their families….
Very strange comment. Get online and you’ll see what’s happening all day. Terrorists are fleeing to the south of their enclave in Aleppo city and civilians, in there thousands, are going to SAA/YPD controlled districts. Bright days ahead for the civilian of Aleppo as the terrorists that were holding them hostage flee.
@PaulJ: So Paul you think the war is nearly over, what started as a civil revolt now is a war against terrorism. So who are these terrorists if they are not the opposition to a sadistic regime.
Sorry Chris, but you are main stream media misinformed. There was never a civil rising in Syria. In 2009 Assad blocked a proposed oil line from Qatar to Turkey. The US then set about “regime change”.They never tried to eradicate ISIS as they needed their disruption in northern Syria, as they attempted to remove Assad. But the worst part and what will be Obama’s legacy is the arming and funding of Al Qaeda and the disgraceful attempt to call them “moderate” rebels and paint them as the good guys!..This is the same Al Qaeda that attacked the US in 9/11, killing thousands!
@Lord Clanricarde: and the same al CIAda that were supported by the Saudi government and it’s assets in the US, the same terrorists the US allowed to fly planes in the most watched and guarded airpace on the planet for over 1.5 hours
follow the money
so this morning we find out that all 10,000 residents of the area have managed to flee after Syrian and Russian forces wipe out even more of the western backed ISIS terrorists, it seems the western media and it’s sources have got the population of the area wrong by 265,000
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