Antifa assault protesters at rally against California spa allowing
transgender woman to expose genitalia to girls
3 Jul, 2021 23:05
Protestors at a Los Angeles day spa that angered conservatives for allowing a transgender woman to expose herself (her male apparatus) to girls clashed with black-clad counter-protesters after Antifa vowed to "stand against rampant transphobia."
Video footage from Saturday's rally outside the Wi Spa in LA's Koreatown area shows several assaults and fights, including a man wearing an ‘Obey Jesus’ T-shirt being knocked to the ground by counter-protesters after several demonstrators were assaulted and chased away. Another evangelist is then punched and knocked to the ground after trying to come to the man's aid.
Another clip shows a woman being surrounded by a group of masked activists after her sign is taken away and ripped in pieces. Taunting counter-protesters rip off her hat and sunglasses. She then tries to reason with the mob, explaining that while she doesn't oppose transgender women being allowed in the spa, "I just don't want to see their penis." The crowd then chants, "Go home transphobe."
In another case, a young man standing by himself pulls out pepper spray after his sign is taken away and ripped, only to be chased down, thrown to the ground and punched and kicked by at least four black-clad activists who only stop when several apparent security guards come to his help.
Other incidents caught on video included assaults on another man and a videographer, as well as a couple being threatened and pushed as a mob forces them to leave. Demonstrators and counter-protesters are seen brawling in some footage.
Police arrived on scene after the scuffles broke out, forming a line to separate the groups. Antifa activists then set a dumpster fire in the middle of the street.
Counter-protesters also faced off with police, which declared unlawful assembly and deployed crowd control means as the situation got heated.
The rally and ensuing violence stemmed from a viral video last week in which a woman confronted Wi Spa's staff, ranting that the business allowed a biological male to "go into the women's section, show his penis to young little girls." She later complained in an Instagram post that "Wi Spa allowed the man access just because he called himself a woman. This man was naked, exposing his testicles and penis slinging left to right in front of young girls, teens and grown women."
Wi Spa stood by its policy, saying that it's prohibited by state law from discriminating against customers based on gender identity.
A group known as SoCal Antifa and other Antifa accounts on Twitter called on followers to show up at Saturday's rally to "smash transphobia" and "smash fascism."
Slovenian PM says EU’s ‘imaginary values’ could trigger ‘collapse’ of bloc,
amid Hungary LGBT row
4 Jul, 2021 14:09
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has condemned the EU’s western states for imposing “imaginary European values” without respecting local cultures. Jansa supports Hungary in its fight against LGBT content in schools and TV.
Sandwiched between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, Slovenia is a tiny country of 2.1 million people. However, for the next six months, it will set the agenda of the European Council.
Speaking after his country assumed the council’s rotating presidency last week, Jansa made it clear that his priorities might not line up with those of the bloc’s western powers. Railing at the Slovenian “mainstream media” and its alleged allies in the country’s judiciary, Jansa also spoke out against the EU’s promotion of its liberal values in eastern and central Europe, LGBT causes among them.
Imposing “imaginary European values,” he argued,
would be the “fastest road to collapse” for the bloc.
“The European Union brings together countries with different traditions, with different cultures… there are differences that need to be taken into account and respected,” he stated.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen openly disagreed with Jansa during the press briefing, saying that “freedom of expression, diversity and equality” are fundamental “European values” that need to be upheld.
The question is when were these values first recognized, and when were LGBTQ matters recognized as part of those 'fundamental' rights?
The clash between Jansa and von der Leyen is just one more battle in a growing cultural conflict between the western swathe of the EU and the center and east. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has led the charge (2nd story on link) against Brussels in this conflict, angering the liberal West by passing a law forbidding the portrayal of homosexuality to children. The EU in return has threatened legal action against Hungary, and 17 western European leaders signed a letter last month condemning “discrimination towards the LGBTI community” and their “fundamental rights.”
Orban has insisted that the law does not discriminate against the LGBT community, but allows parents to decide what to teach their children about matters of gender and sexuality.
Isn't that a 'fundamental' right?
Jansa has taken a similar line. Responding to von der Leyen on Friday, he said that the pair had “a sincere discussion on what human rights are,” but that he defended “the right of parents to educate their children” as they see fit. Von der Leyen responded that “the right of parents to educate their children was not at all disputed,” but “the question was … whether the amendments of existing laws discriminate against minorities.”
Jansa also proclaimed that Slovenia is not “a colony” of the EU to be dictated to, much like Orban last week decried the Dutch “colonial” mentality, after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte declared earlier that Hungary “has no business being in the European Union any more” if it doesn’t submit to the bloc’s position on LGBT rights.
LGBT+ campaigners in Georgia call off pride march after violent
far-right mobs break into organizer's office & beat up journalists
5 Jul, 2021 15:02
March for Dignity during Pride Week in Tbilisi, Georgia July 5, 2021. © REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze
The organizers of Georgia’s Tbilisi Pride have accused the country’s police of failing to perform its duty, after far-right activists stormed and ransacked their office, demanding it not go ahead. They have canceled the event.
The violence came after Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili attacked the march as “unreasonable,” claiming that the Pride event, named ‘The March of Dignity’, had been organized by the “radical opposition” that seeks to “spark tension” and destabilize the country.
“The march scheduled today carries risks of civic confrontation because the march is unacceptable to the vast majority of the country’s population,” he said, according to the Georgian news website Agenda.
Following Garibashvili’s comments, homophobic far-right mobs stormed the offices of the march’s organizers, who, in turn, accused the government of failing to fulfill its direct responsibilities.
“Such inactivity, and using the political power of hateful groups as a weapon, resulted in attacks on the offices of Tbilisi Pride and the Shame Movement, and violence against journalists in the presence of the police,” a statement said, accusing the government, the Orthodox Church, and ‘Pro-Russian forces’ of being behind the attacks.
The country’s religious patriarchate had planned a prayer service opposing the march.
“The huge wave of hate we are watching right now is inspired and support by the government and the police,” the organizers said.
Videos posted on social media show a right-wing mob tearing down the LGBT rainbow flag in front of the Tbilisi Pride offices.
Local reports suggested at least 20 journalists covering the event were attacked by the anti-Pride activists, with the country’s interior ministry announcing it would be launching an investigation.
Tbilisi Pride’s director, Giorgi Tabagari, called the events “a major state failure” and decried the words of Garibashvili as “highly irresponsible.”
In response to Monday’s event, several Western embassies in Tbilisi, including the American, British, and German, released a joint statement condemning the “violent attacks on the civic activists, community members, and journalists.”
“We call on all Georgia’s leaders and law enforcement to act swiftly to protect those exercising their Constitutional rights to freedom of expression and assembly, to protect journalists exercising freedom of the press, and to publicly condemn violence,” the statement said.
Brits face never-ending ‘woke’ culture wars as American-style divisions
on way to take hold in UK, pollster warns
5 Jul, 2021 14:15
Union Jack flags lay on the ground at Parliament Square in London, Britain, February 1 2020.
© REUTERS/Simon Dawson
Escalating culture feuds could dominate British politics much like they already do in the US, American pollster Frank Luntz has claimed, citing new research revealing deep divides in voter attitudes in the UK.
The long-time Republican Party operative began examining the top causes of concern among British voters, after joining the London-based Centre for Policy Studies in May. Having surveyed several thousand people, he found that Britain was increasingly being divided along ‘woke’ versus ‘non-woke’ lines, rather than by the traditional social and cultural tensions felt between north versus south, cities versus rural areas and even men versus women.
In his study, which was first reported on by The Times, around 81% of Tory voters agreed with the premise that the UK was a nation of “equality and freedom”, while a mere 19% said the nation was “institutionally racist and discriminatory”. Among Labour supporters, 52% saw the UK as a bastion of freedom, and 48% said the country suffered from systemic racism.
When asked specifically about cancel culture, 40% of respondents said they believed the social phenomenon served as a form of “thought and speech police”, while 25% backed it, arguing that those who say something sexist or racist should “face the consequences”. There were similar differences between Tory and Labour voters on issues concerning economic opportunity in the country. Three-quarters of Conservatives agreed that the UK gives everyone a “fair chance” to get ahead if they work hard. Labour voters, however, were less certain, with around a half saying “injustice and inequality” in the country hold many people back.
According to Luntz, these findings are a major red flag. “When you have decided that your country is institutionally racist and discriminatory, you don’t normally go back,” Luntz said in an interview with The Times, predicting that the chasm dividing voters would only widen with time. He said it was likely that, in six months to a year, the “damage” caused by such radically different views about what the UK stands for will lead to the same vast social upheaval already occurring in the United States. As a result, Britain will see less cooperation and compromise but more negativity, the pollster warned.
“The problem with woke[ness] and with cancel culture is that it is never done. The conflict and divisions never end,” he said. “This is not what the people of the UK want – but it’s coming anyway.”
He said that, while the Labour Party was in touch with its own voter base, it had essentially alienated everyone else by creating an “unsustainable” internal conflict. The reaction from the Tories has only made things worse, Luntz suggested, noting that “woke begets woke”. In turn, he gave a warning to the Conservatives about fair representation, saying they can’t just “be for their people”.
His study found that voters believed the government’s main objective should be to help protect the poorest and most vulnerable. For the Tories, helping those in need shouldn’t just be a “slogan”, but rather a “way of life”, Luntz argued.
In the UK, both public and private institutions have increasingly embraced policies aimed at promoting social justice and equality. However, critics claim such measures have actually increased division within the country.
Hungary declares LGBT+ activists will be barred from schools
as EU opens inquiry into law restricting promotion of homosexuality
8 Jul, 2021 13:34
People gather in front of a huge rainbow balloon put up by members of Amnesty International and Hatter, an NGO promoting LGBT rights, at Hungary's parliament in Budapest, Hungary, July 8, 2021. © REUTERS/Marton Monus
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared on Thursday that his country would bar LGBT+ activists from schools under a new law restricting promotion of homosexuality, despite pressure from the EU to rescind the legislation.
In a post shared on his official Facebook page, Orban responded to the European Commission’s decision to open an inquiry into the country over the legislation that prohibits the promotion of homosexuality within schools.
In Canada, we hire them to re-write school curricula! Paedophiles included!
“The European Parliament and the European Commission want that we let LGBTQ activists and organisations into the kindergartens and schools. Hungary does not want that,” Orban said, standing by the legislation.
Orban has been clear that his government will not be dictated-to by the EU over this matter, stating that “Brussels bureaucrats have no business at all” demanding how Hungary teaches its children.
The comments come after the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the country it must repeal the law or face action from the European Union. If Hungary continues to reject the EU’s requests, the Commission could open a legal case against Hungary or seek to restrict or freeze European funds designated for the member state.
Hungary has faced international criticism for the law, whose opponents claim it unfairly links pedophilia and LGBT+ issues. On Thursday, human rights groups held a protest outside Hungary’s parliament building, with Amnesty International declaring that the legislation is aiming “to erase LGBTQI people from the public sphere.”
Hungary fines store $825 for 'misleading' customers
over children's picture book with same-sex families
8 Jul, 2021 14:46
© @lawrenceschimel / Twitter
A bookstore was fined for selling a kid's picture book depicting LGBT families in Hungary. Officials argued that the store has failed to properly warn customers about the book's content.
The book – 'Micsoda csalad!' ('What A Family!') – is a Hungarian translation of two titles by US author Lawrence Schimel and Latvian illustrator Elina Braslina: 'Early One Morning', and 'Bedtime, Not Playtime!'. It features stories about the everyday life of young children of same-sex couples.
Pest county commissioner Richard Tarnai told Hir TV that bookstore chain Lira Konyv has been fined 250,000 forints ($825) for violating the country's advertising law by not displaying a warning about the content of the book. "They should have specifically indicated that the book's content deviated from the norm," Tarnai said.
Tarnai argued that the book was placed next to classic children's stories, which could mislead customers.
The Lira Konyv book chain said it found the fine "surprising" and is preparing a legal response. It added that a sign will be put in place warning customers that the store sells "books with different content than traditional ones."
The book's Hungarian distributor, the Foundation for Rainbow Families, released a statement saying that the book depicts "completely normal, ordinary families," and that the sexuality of parents is not the focus of the story.
"These families haven't had their own story book so far. That's why we thought it was important to publish a fairytale book about them – and first of all for them," the distributor said.
Schimel accused the Hungarian government of "trying to normalize hate & prejudice with these concerted attacks against books like mine." He told The Guardian newspaper that he wanted to celebrate queer families, but claimed that the fact that children in his books have same-sex parents is "incidental to the story."
Nothing is incidental to children!
Hungary, which is ruled by a conservative government, passed a law last month banning LGBT content from the school curriculum and children's TV shows.
The legislation was sharply criticized by EU officials. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that the law discriminates against LGBT people and goes against the key values of the EU. She threatened Budapest with repercussions unless the law is changed.
Hungary has rebuffed the attacks from the EU. "Brussels can't tell people how they should raise their children," the Hungarian prime minister's Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas said on Wednesday, adding that the law is aimed at protecting minors.
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