OutRage! joins the National Day of Action for Palestine
Gays attacked at Palestine rights protest
Attempt to silence debate on murder of gays
London – UK – 15 May 2004
Lesbians and gay men from OutRage! and the Queer Youth Alliance joined today’s demonstration in London to support the human rights of the people of Palestine. But they also urged the Palestinian Authority to
halt the arrest, torture and murder of homosexuals.
They marched with placards reading: "Israel: stop persecuting Palestine! Palestine: stop persecuting queers!"
As soon as they arrived in Trafalgar Square to join the demonstration, the gay protesters were surrounded by an angry, screaming mob of Islamic fundamentalists, Anglican clergymen, members of the Socialist
Workers Party, the Stop the War Coalition, and officials from the protest organisers, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). They
variously attacked the gay activists as “racists”, “Zionists”, “CIA and MI5 agents”, “supporters of the Sharon government” and “dividing the Free Palestine movement”.
PSC organisers asked the gay activists to “stand at the back of the demonstration”, and when they refused blocked their placards with their own banners and shouted down the gay campaigners as they tried to speak to journalists and other protesters.
Most people at the Palestine protest expressed no hostility towards OutRage! and the Queer Youth Alliance. Some expressed positive support.
”We call on the PLO and Palestinian Authority to condemn homophobia,
uphold queer human rights, and to order an immediate end to the abuse of lesbian and gay Palestinians", said OutRage! protester, Brett Lock.
"Having experienced the pain of homophobia, we deplore the suffering
inflicted on Palestinians by the Israeli government”.
"Both Islamophobia and homophobia are intolerable. Upholding the principle of universal human rights, we support the human rights of the people of Palestine. We call on the Palestinians to recognise the
human rights of gay Palestinians".
Another protester, Peter Tatchell, said:
"Gay Palestinians live in fear of arrest, detention without trial, torture and execution at the hands of Palestinian police and security services. They also risk abduction and so-called honour killing by vengeful family members and vigilante mobs, as well as punishment beatings and murder by Palestinian political groups such as Hamas and Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement".
"These revelations come from the independent human rights watchdog,
B’Tselem, and from the Israeli gay rights groups Aguda and Open House, which help gay Palestinian refugees".
The abuse of Palestinian gays has been confirmed by two senior Palestine Liberation Organisation officials in conversations with
queer rights activist, Peter Tatchell.
"Both officials expressed personal regret concerning these abuses but said their liberal views were not shared by the majority of PLO officials and supporters", said Mr Tatchell.
"For over 30 years I have supported the Palestinian struggle for national liberation, but it would be wrong to remain silent while the PLO, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are abducting, brutalising and murdering lesbian and gay Palestinians. Freedom for Palestine must be freedom for all Palestinians - straight and gay.
“Unless we challenge the abuse of queer human rights now, this violent homophobia will become entrenched in a new Palestinian state and Palestinian leaders will be emboldened to abuse the rights of other
Palestinian citizens", said Tatchell.
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report
Sunday May 16, 2004 22:07
by Out and Proud
media at outrage dot org dot uk
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Fair play to outrage for highlighting an important issue. Shame on the idiots who tried to stop them from taking part in the demo.
Gay rights activists being in favour of rights for all Palestinians - not just straight ones! The bastards!
What we need to do is get together a mob of right thinking people, you know, Islamic fundamentalists, Anglican clergymen, members of the Socialist Workers Party, the Stop the War Coalition, and officials from the protest organisers, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Then we can bully and abuse them arrogant queers demanding human rights.
We'll show those fuckers that they aren't welcome round here.
in photos that reflect the myriad participants without dwelling on any obvious propaganda value, coz that's not our style.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/05/291458.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/05/291500.html (big photos take a while to download)
outrage comes in many colours of the rainbow, the rainbow comes in many colours as well.
Indymedia united kollectives has a good line-up of articles on this weekend's newswire.
go have a look.
everythings there. here. everywhere.
we are rashful.
In the first 10 days of May, around 1700 people were made homeless by Israel's demolition policy in the occupied Gaza strip. With the latest wave of attacks the number must have risen to many thousands.
"The Apaches are shelling us right now, many many fragments and parts of injured people everywhere in the area, I wasn't able to identify the body of my relative who get killed, they brought him to the hospital as parts and fragments..."
Gays Attacked At Palestinian Protest
(London) Members of two British gay rights groups were attacked when they attempted to participate in a demonstration for Palestinian rights
OutRage and Queer Youth Alliance went to the protest march at Trafalgar Square to show their support for people of Palestine. But they also urged the Palestinian Authority to halt the arrest, torture and murder of homosexuals.
Gays Attacked At Palestinian Protest
by Peter Moore
365Gay.com Newscenter
London Bureau
Posted: May 16, 2004 4:37 pm. ET
(London) Members of two British gay rights groups were attacked when they attempted to participate in a demonstration for Palestinian rights.
OutRage and Queer Youth Alliance went to the protest march at Trafalgar Square to show their support for people of Palestine. But they also urged the Palestinian Authority to halt the arrest, torture and murder of homosexuals.
As soon as they arrived at the square members of the two groups were surrounded by an angry, screaming mob of Islamic fundamentalists, Anglican clergymen, members of the Socialist Workers Party, the Stop the War Coalition, and officials from the protest organizers, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).
They variously attacked the gay activists as “racists”, “Zionists”, “CIA and MI5 agents”, “supporters of the Sharon government” and accused the gays of “dividing the Free Palestine movement”.
PSC organisers asked the gay activists to “stand at the back of the demonstration”, and when they refused blocked their placards with their own banners and shouted down the gay campaigners as they tried to speak to journalists and other protesters.
Most people at the Palestine protest expressed no hostility towards OutRage! and the Queer Youth Alliance. Some expressed positive support.
In the end, the gay groups were allowed to march in the demonstration. The two groups carried placards reading: "Israel: stop persecuting Palestine! Palestine: stop persecuting queers!"
”We call on the PLO and Palestinian Authority to condemn homophobia, uphold queer human rights, and to order an immediate end to the abuse of lesbian and gay Palestinians", said OutRage! protester, Brett Lock.
"Having experienced the pain of homophobia, we deplore the suffering inflicted on Palestinians by the Israeli government”.
Another protester, Peter Tatchell, said: "Gay Palestinians live in fear of arrest, detention without trial, torture and execution at the hands of Palestinian police and security services. They also risk abduction and so-called honor killing by vengeful family members and vigilante mobs, as well as punishment beatings and murder by Palestinian political groups such as Hamas and Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement".
©365Gay.com® 2004
The SWP in the RESPECT unity coalition are voting down taking positions on gay rights, gay marriage and womens rights in order to court support from these bigots.
I think OutRage would be at lot more welcome in Tel Aviv than at that march.
Islamic societies need to deal with their intolerance towards others.