A press
release regarding shameful statements made by the Serbian Orthodox Church leading
figures
Gayten-LGBT, the center
for promotion of LGBTIQ rights, joins other civil society organisations in severely
condemning shameful statements made by the Patriarch Irinej and Littoral Head
Amfilohije of Montenegro, regarding the catastrophic floods that struck Serbia
two weeks ago.
The Patriarch directly linked the organisation
of Belgrade Pride, which he presented as „immense anarchy and vile vice, (they)
use to take pride in and point out their democratic values, all the while
working against God and the laws of life.“
A few days later, Littoral Head Amfilohije of
Montenegro stated that this year’s Eurovision song contest winner, Conchita
Wurst, affirmed as Jesus Christ, is responsible for the current tragedy of the
Serbian people. Calling Conchita miserable, he finds her Eurovision victory „a
promotion of the destruction of human nature and human being, and calls
Belgrade pride a parade of shame.“
It is unimaginable to provide media space to
such statements, which at the same time represent a violation of the law on
informing and the antidiscrimination law, since the two church heads were
calling to violence and discrimination of LGBTIQ people, some of whom are
believers too, ostracized in this act. These statements are a clear example of
hate speech and are an implicit invitation to violence and discrimination
against a group of people.
Taking into account the power and influence of
the Serbian Orthodox church in our society, Gayten-LGBT is calling all
international and domestic organisations and individuals to condemn such
shameful church leaders’ statements. We also demand that institutions in charge
of sanctioning the violations of law and human rights to react immediately.
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