All Out writes about the case of Sergey Kondrashov. His letter explains quite clear the horrible situation:
Dear members of All Out
My name is Sergey and I live in Russia. I'm straight, happily married for 16 years. And until last week I would not have been called an activist. But on Sunday in St Petersburg I was arrested for spreading "gay propaganda".
Why? Because I held up a banner and told the truth: “A dear family friend is lesbian. My wife and I love and respect her … and her family is just as equal as ours." In just five days i will got to court, where I will probably be fined and even thrown to jail for 15 days because I took a stand for equal rights.
Despite arguments made by the bill supporters - that this law was intended to protect children - it's now clearer than ever that the law is really about making lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) people disappear in Russia's second largest city.
And not just LGBT people - the law will muzzle people like me, straight people who care about our LGBT friends and family. Now that lawmakers in the Duma (the federal legislature) are debating a version of the law, this despicable law could go nationwide - unless we fight it now.
That's why I'm appealing to the one person whose influence over the political process in Russia could help us annul this unconstitutional law in St. Petersburg, and make sure it isn't rolled out nationwide - Prime Minister Putin. Sign this petition to the president-elect, let's make sure he knows the whole world is watching.
Thanks for your support,
Sergey Kondrashov. Independent lawyer in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
In a copycat law, the Hungarian nationalist party Jobbik attacks the queer community:
Jobbik party on Wednesday submitted an amendment proposal seeking to ban “promotion of sexual deviations”, MP Adam Mirkoczki, the proponent of the bill, told a press conference.
The bill is aimed at protecting “public morals and the mental health of the young generations” from homosexuality, trans-sexuality, transvestitism, bisexuality, and paedophile behaviours, the deputy said.
The legal changes to several laws would include a ban on advertisements or programmes presenting the above behaviours as socially acceptable or as examples to be followed.
If parliament passes the proposal into law, “promotion” of homosexuality or other “disorders of sexual behaviour” will be punishable by up to 8 years in prison.
Helena Eronen, a prominent member of the far-right political party the True Finns, wants members of minority groups to wear armbands for easy identification. She suggest a rainbow flag for gay people, a crescent for Muslims, and a hammer-and-sickle for Russians.
writes Christopher Aqurette.
She suggested on her blog entry today that foreigners should start using sleeve badges in order to help the police figure out rapidly who is a foreigner and who is a Finn. She writes:
If every foreigner were required to use a sleeve badge of his/her national background, the police could immediately spot whether that ‘aha, that is a Muslim from Somalia’ or ‘aha. that is a beggar from Romania.’... Kampucheans could have field mines, a burger [could be used to distinguish] USAmericans… take for example if a refugee from Kurdistan would get permanent residency [in Finland], his red half moon would be changed for a blue-white half moon when he’d become a Finnish citizen… Think about what an important moment in that Kurd’s life [if he would exchange his red half moon for a blue-white half moon at some ceremony at Immigration Service]. It would enforce integration and would make Finnish and Finnishness an important goal [for every immigrant to attain].
She also proposes that potential terrorist could wear chips under their skins to monitor their movements.
Acording to Enrique Tessieri (who also shares the above info),
if you visit Eronen’s Facebook page and go to photos, you’ll find one where she is wearing an army-looking cap with a flower emblem. The edelweiss flower was used by a mountain commando division in Hitler’s army.
What is worrying in these three cases is the lack of reaction from "common people", besides the small rejection or calling them insane, the strange feeling of a horrifying deja-vu is not hunting yet, the perils of this hate machine are not felt. My only hope is that the counter-reaction will come not too late. In Russia people are still arrested.
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