Peter Tatchell took a trip to British overseas territory Gibraltar – and he didn’t like what he saw.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the ever-outspoken activist blasted the government’s anti-gay actions:
Many people I have met recalled instances of discrimination, harassment and other abuses. However, they all expressed their unwillingness to report officially or publicly discuss the human rights violations they had suffered, out of fear of retribution from state officials.
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The people of Gibraltar are wonderful, but the government appears to be drifting towards autocracy… It is failing to respect the human rights of its own citizens, especially gay people, the disabled and immigrants.
It’s shocking to hear that Gibraltar, that famous rock over which the Spanish and the Brits have warred, would have backward policy. Spain and Britain are both very gay friendly nations. Perhaps Gibraltar’s government’s using repression to assert its self-determination: never a good move in the political arena. And tacky, too.
Jim Watr
Although there is room for improvement, the reality is that in Gibraltar peoples sexuality is regarded as their business and not a matter for the state or anyone else. There is more indifference than interest.
Yes some of our laws need updating, as part of the EU we have a flood of new legislation to implement and we only recently removed the death penalty. However with a population of only 30,000 people its hard to keep up.
BUT, nobody has been hung since WW2 and neither is anyone prosecuted for homosexuality.
charliescissors
I’m afraid our friend Mr Watt is spreading apologia again for the Rock. No, Jim, Gibraltar like anywhere else has a duty to its people, yes, its people: you know, the ones whom the politicians say they want to defend their Human Rights every year when they go to the United Nations? Don’t give a damn what bureaucratic problems Government might have about implementing law – that’s what they’re there to do. And as to the stuff that in Gibraltar people are either indifferent or sexuality is a private affair: come on Jim, you trying to pull wool over people’s eyes or what? This is a discussion about injustices in law. Not about the privacy of people’s lives. It’s IN LAW that the Gibraltar Government and Gibraltar society is failing modern and acceptable European and British standards of rights for its citizens. Again, Mr Watt, your arguments do not wash. Though, granted, if another Gibraltarian were not here to rebut what you have to say to them, they might even swallow your arguments!