May 23, 2007News: Lithuania Bans EU Diversity Truck Tour
By vanrozenheim
(Strasbourg, EU) – The European Commission is now experiencing at first hand homophobia – and what it is like to be gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, or transgendered in parts of the European Union, a group of MEPs said today.The remarks come in the wake of the ban imposed on Monday by the Mayor of Vilnius, Juozas Imbrasas, on the Commission-sponsored ‘For Diversity: Against Discrimination’ display truck from setting up shop for a day in the Lithuanian capital on Friday (May 25). “The Commission now feels the force of homophobia,” said Michael Cashman (PES – UK), the president of Parliament’s gay and lesbian rights all-party ‘Intergroup’.
“The Government of Lithuania must act and abide by the Treaties,” he continued. “The Commission itself must defend the treaties and minorities, otherwise the flames of hatred which were ignited in Poland and are now spreading to Lithuania will continue crossing our continent.”
A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed today Vilnius had banned the truck and that it will now go straight from Tartu in Estonia, where it was yesterday, to Szeged, Hungary, where it is due on May 30.
“We highly regret that the incident, as the diversity message which the bus carries is very important and essential to Europe,” the spokesperson said.
“As to the permission, it is, of course, an issue for the Lituanian authorities.”
Lissy Gröner (PES – Germany) an Intergoup vice-president, openly questioned the wisdom of placing the new European Gender Institute in Vilnius.
“Regarding the unacceptable situation in Vilnius now and the fact that the mayor opposes the European equality policy, I doubt, in my capacity as rapporteur for the Gender Institute, that the Council took the right decision for Vilnius as the seat for the European Gender Institute.”
Sophie in `t Veld, (ALDE – Netherlands) called for the Commission to respond without hesitation.
“The Commission does not hesitate to charge in with the cavalry to fight cartels or anti-competitive practice,” she pointed out.
“In the European Year of Equal Opportunities the Commission must demonstrate that it enforces all European laws, not just the economic ones, Ms. in `t Veld insisted.
“Banning a peaceful demonstration was ruled illegal by the European Court of Human Rights. Moreover, the activity was organised and funded in the context of the European Year. The Commission must ensure proper execution of the programmes.
The Green MEP, Raul Romeva (Spain), said that the Vilnius ban showed the extent of homophobia in parts of the European Union.
“This decision by a local EU authority, together with other similar decisions coming from mayors and officials in other EU countries such as those trying to promote in Poland a law banning LGBT people to become professors, or in Latvia not allowing Gay Prides to run normally, show that homophobia in the EU is a serious matter and needs to be taken very seriously by EU authorities, particularly the Commission and the Council.
“It can not further be seen as a Member State competence given this, in fact, supposes a clear violation of the basic Treaties,”
■ Sophie in `t Veld is scheduled to be the Intergroup’s observer at Moscow Pride this weekend, and Raul Romeva has the same task at Riga Friendship Days and Pride in the Latvian capital the following weekend.
