Europe: homophobia progresses but victims' voice is freed (Replay)
Demonstration against homophobia, in Paris.
REUTERS / GONZALO FUENTES
By: Léa-Lisa Westerhoff Follow
3 min
Homophobia is on the rise in Europe.
Physical assaults increased in 2019. In France, for example, 1,900 homophobic crimes and offenses were recorded last year (2019), which is 3 times more than 3 years ago.
But, at the same time, the victims' words are released.
Publicity
German army admits discriminating against homosexuals for decades
Thus in Germany, after years of denial, the German army admits having openly discriminated against homosexuals.
Until the end of the 1990s, some were degraded or even excluded from the Bundeswehr on the basis of their sexual orientation alone.
Today, Berlin apologizes and promises to compensate these victims.
The report by our correspondent
David Philippot.
In Poland, an Anti-LGBT bill tabled in Parliament
This bill plans to ban LGBT walks or any other event that promotes “non-heterosexual orientations”.
And in a country where the government has multiplied homophobic statements in recent months, this initiative carried by Polish citizens is also supported by some members of the Polish Church.
Details in Warsaw from
Sarah Bakaloglou.
A law against homophobia under review in Italy
In Italy, a first step has just been taken.
A law on homophobia has just been adopted on first reading by the National Assembly.
This text penalizes all forms of physical and verbal aggression against a person on the grounds of their sexual orientation.
A major breakthrough in a country which only recognized civil unions between people of the same sex in 2016.
Frédérique Lebel
went to meet gay activists to ask them what was going to change.
Félix Cossolo in front of his club closed because of Covid.
© RFI / Frédérique Lebel
In Britain, homophobic attacks increased by 20%
In the UK, the number of homophobic attacks rose from 6,655 in 2014, the year gay marriage was legalized, to more than 18,000 in 2019-2020.
Figures that reveal the importance of groups of night watchmen.
The initiative was born in Manchester, in 2017, and was duplicated in London, a little over a year ago.
The goal: to avoid any homophobic attack in gay neighborhoods.
With the health crisis and confinement, their activity is suspended.
Back to what we call the
Soho Angels
, in London, with
Marie Billon.
In November, Europe is trying to cope with this new peak in Covid-19 contamination.
Everywhere, movement restrictions are multiplying: teleworking, confinement.
We talk about it with
Daniel Vigneron
from
the myeurop.info site.
(Replay of November 19, 2020)
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