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“As a political family, we are firmly committed to the protection and expansion of the rights of LGBTI + people. Mr. Uspaskich’s comments are incompatible with the values we hold, and he has separated from our family,” said the group’s president in a press release.
Therefore, in accordance with internal disciplinary procedures, which were crowned by the vote at the Renew Europe meeting on Wednesday evening, V. Uspaskich was immediately removed from the group. Of the 84 voters, 72 were in favor of removing a colleague, 6 voted against or abstained.
“This should be a point of resistance in Lithuania”
According to Petras Auštrevičius, a member of the Liberal faction, the discussion about the fate of V. Uspaskich took place for about an hour, he himself also participated, was able to give explanations.
According to the portal 15 minutes interlocutor, the discussion was moderate but principled. At the same time, the argument that there was a lack of clarity about what was actually being said had begun to prevail, but in the end the values supported by Renew Europe had prevailed, and the group’s president, Ciolos, had taken a firm stand. No MEP was considered to personally oppose V. Uspaskich: he had little participation in the group’s activities, he rarely appeared at meetings and probably not all members could recognize him in the face.
Photo by Lukas Balandi / 15min / Peter Auštrevičius
One of the reasons for not eliminating it may have been the reluctance to lose the vote in the European Parliament. “Nobody wants to diminish,” admitted P. Auštrevičius. – They are all important. We have fallen, it is a certain loss. But we have gained a lot in principle ”. So now, for example, when it comes to the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, accused of authoritarianism, the arguments of this group will be strong and will be based on concrete decisions rather than theoretical conclusions.
In response to the fact that there are no such reactions to homophobic statements in Lithuanian politics, P. Auštrevičius stated: “It is very good that our group has taken this seriously. In Lithuania, that wave has filled everything, which has become something of a phenomenon. It is spoken, but everyone hears it. And such a negative tolerance has become a kind of norm, it has become dangerous. It’s unclear what action awaits after that. Increasing negative tolerance is a bad thing. “
We have reacted much more seriously to such behavior. Many states have more mature democracies, they take these things more seriously, listen to the words, and adhere to the principles of democracy. This should be the point of resistance in Lithuania: it is necessary to evaluate the speeches more thoroughly, no: “Oh, the speaker …” It does not matter what it is, whether in the Seimas or politics at the municipal level. If we are members of the European Union, let’s do the right thing.
Removal proposed by the French
Uspaskich received strong reactions from his peers on the social network Facebook, during which he disparaged LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people.
During a broadcast ten days ago, the politician explained: “Today, in some European countries, it is even dangerous to say that you are a naturalist. I don’t want my conversations, the program, to be commented on by pediatricians of all kinds, because it is not a program for them anyway. I mean pedicures, perverts, those to whom fate, life has given so much, it is not their fault that there is some kind of longing for a man to feel with his clothes as a woman. Most of these people don’t advertise, but those who put their pimples under their skirts and go out into the streets scream, they are pediatricians, perverts and things like that should not be tolerated.
Facebook Photo / Viktor Uspaskich MEP changes profession: decides to treat people
Following these words, MEPs from the party of French President Emmanuel Macron called for the expulsion of V. Uspaskich from the Liberal Group of the EP “Renew Europe”. Its leader, Romanian politician Dacian Ciolos, demanded that the politician apologize for “intolerable homophobic comments.” The Seimas Freedom Faction also appealed to Renew Europe management regarding the suspension of the “employee’s” membership.
In a letter to Uspaskich, Ciolos claimed that the video content he posted was completely unacceptable, hateful, and clearly homophobic. “I will give you the opportunity to explain your behavior, but I must demand that you withdraw these intolerable homophobic comments and apologize both to the public and to your colleagues in the Renew Europe group for the pain it has caused,” Ciolos wrote in a letter quoted by BNS.
It is suggested to listen rather than read the transcripts.
V.Uspaskich apologized to the liberal faction of the EP in a letter a couple of days ago. In a two-page letter in English, the “worker” assured that he did not seek to offend LGBT people, and that his words were misunderstood: “.”
The politician said he directed the outrageous phrases only to those who insulted him, and not to the entire LGBT community. “In this context, I am not talking about gays, lesbians or other people in the LGBT community. Specifically I pointed out that I am not referring to people who are naturally given a different orientation, but I am referring to those who scream loudly and live a perverted life, ”he explained.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Viktor Uspaskich
According to the MEP, his words should be heard directly and not read a copy, as a lot can be said through intonation and non-verbal communication. “Actually, I am not a specialist in this terminology; perhaps the word used was not quite precise and too rude. I sincerely regret that the information was provided to you, my group colleagues and the media in such a biased way that it hurt me personally, and also our European group and party. “
The politician promised to “make his speeches more carefully” in the future and complained in Lithuania that he often received unwarranted attacks and insults from political opponents due to his Russian origin and suffered from a Russophobic mood.
Calls on the state to combat homophobia
Communication Manager of the Center for Human Rights, Portal manoteises.lt Editor-in-chief Jūratė Juškaitė was skeptical of the MEP’s attempt to cover up the scandal.
“If we really want to apologize, apparently the letters of apology shouldn’t go to the European institutions first.” We need to apologize to the LGBT community and initiate legislative changes that would increase the equality of LGBT people and show a sincere understanding of the issues facing this community. 15 minutes she said.
J.Juškaitė also suggested asking the question, why does homophobic politics exist in general, why is it “worth it”? Why are such statements likely to only strengthen V. Uspaskich’s position among his constituents? This is confirmed by the example of the Seimas MP Petras Gražulis, who is still being re-elected MP.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Jūratė Juškaitė
“And here the answer is very simple: why should those voters think differently, if in the education of our country, talking about LGBT acceptance is only a matter of the LGBT community itself and of various non-governmental organizations? Lately, we also see more and more conversations about this in the media. At the state level, however, we do not have a strategy or measures to reduce negative attitudes and exclusion of LGBT people. Eliminating such deep negative attitudes requires long and constant work both in the fields of education and in social inclusion. “
According to J. Juškaitė, although it would be easier to disparage the voters of these politicians, consider them uneducated or obscure, first of all the state should critically evaluate their actions. In particular, the Ministries of Education, Science and Sports and Social Security and Labor, which are supposed to take responsibility for such high levels of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the state and take concrete, consistent and long-term measures.
“Of course, the lack of responsibility and inaction of the state does not diminish the responsibility of politicians like V. Uspaskich, P. Gražulis and others. In politics, these people have been around for years and their speeches are not flares or the use of inappropriate language. , is a deliberate incitement to homophobic moods among voters that then allows the sympathies and voices of the voters themselves to come together. Attempts to apologize, to explain that the words have been taken out of context, that they have been misunderstood They seem strange ”, summarized the interlocutor.
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