The European Parliament on Thursday called on the Slovak Government to make "meaningful progress in the protection of LGBTIQ+ people" against hate crimes. In reaction to a recent case in Bratislava in which a far-right radicalised gunman murdered two young men, Matus Horvath and Juraj Vankulic, in front of a gay bar on Zamocka Street, the EP adopted a resolution, calling on the Government to take up a strong public stance against violations of the human rights of these people.
In the resolution, adopted by 447 votes against 78 and 45 abstentions, MEPs condemn hate and violence against "persons based on their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sex characteristics in both Slovakia and the EU".
The resolution describes the attack as "a cowardly act of terror" against the LGBTIQ+ community and states that it was motivated by far-right ideology.
At the same time, the EP expressed its "grave concern over the frequent use of offensive, aggressive and homophobic language towards the LGBTIQ+ community in Slovakia, including by former and current members of the government". MEPs also called for "any form of cooperation with far-right extremist forces" to be rejected.
Referring to similar hate crimes in Bulgaria, Croatia and Lithuania, MEPs voiced their deep concern over "the impunity with which anti-LGBTIQ+ groups, in particular far-right extremist groups, operate in some member states" and strongly condemned EU governments that rely on "support by far-right and other LGBTIQ+-phobic political parties to access and maintain themselves in power".
MEPs worry that the younger generations "feel less and less concerned about the history of fascism", including hate and “discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people, ethnic minorities and the Jewish population”. For this reason, they stress the need for school curricula to include the topic of various ideologies and their consequences.
According to the resolution, member states should make sure that hate crimes against LGBTIQ+ people are investigated and prosecuted, including those committed online.
In addition, the EU should launch campaigns against anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives and fund programmes supporting grassroots organisations and citizens’ initiatives to help develop the population’s ability to resist right-wing extremism. MEPs also urged the Council of the EU to extend the list of EU crimes to include speech and hate crimes, asking Hungary and Poland to stop blocking the adoption of this decision.
TASR press agency learnt on Thursday that Slovak Justice Minister Viliam Karas had taken the initiative with respect to the protection of human rights in Slovakia. Karas is saddened by the growing radicalisation in public discourse that leads to hateful speeches. "I think that our society cannot afford to reject an honest and constructive dialogue about these issues. Otherwise, we run the risk of passing solutions that will do nothing but exacerbate the tension," he claimed.
"Regarding the recent rejection of a bill modifying some rights of LGBTI+ people by Parliament, I offered to the Prime Minister that I'd take the initiative in coordinating discussion on the protection of human rights in our country," stated Karas.
The Justice Minister plans to meet with representatives of civic society who approach the issue from different angles and stances. "I hope that we'll manage to identify measures in the foreseeable future that might help us advance the dialogue forward. At a minimum, I want us as society to start doing away with barriers that senselessly or unjustifiably complicate life for the people who just wish to be together. The state is supposed to take care of people, not poke its nose into their affairs," he said. Karas added that the topic of human dignity must not be overlooked even in other issues and that he perceives sensitively also the jeopardising of the rights of migrants, marginalised groups or unborn children.
Source: TASR
