Czech president's aide condemns Prague gay festival
05/08/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original article: http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zp...-condemns-prague-gay-festival/670985
Prague - The prepared Prague gay carnival is a pressure action and a political demonstration of a world with deformed values, Czech President Vaclav Klaus's aide Petr Hajek wrote in a text published by the server Parlamentni listy.cz today.
Hajek, deputy head of Klaus's office, wrote that homosexuals were "deviant fellow citizens."
Hajek sharply criticised Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) and chairman of the Prague ODS branch Boris Stastny for having supported the planned event.
Hajek said with such views they should leave the ODS as it called itself a right-wing party.
Svoboda and Stastny rejected the criticism.
"The homosexuals' pressure action that will take place under the 'pretty Czech name' gay parade in Prague is not any innocent entertainment," Hajek said.
"It is a serious demonstration of a certain vision of the values in the world. It is a world in which traditional family plays no role," he added.
"In this world, the monster of multiculturalism devours deep national traditions and cultural roots," Hajek wrote.
"It is a world in which sexual or any other deviation is elevated to a virtue, abnormality to a norm, the destruction of society to holy progress," Hajek added.
"A white man, heterosexual and Christian" is typically the endangered species in the world the participants in the event advocate, Hajek said.
The homosexuals' march through Prague will be the culmination of the five-day Festival of Tolerance to be held also under the auspices of Svoboda.
The carnival march of gays, lesbians, transsexuals and members of other minorities called Prague Pride will be held for the first time in Prague.
President of Prague Pride Czeslaw Walek told CTK that Hajek's views were so marginal that they were perhaps not worth reacting.
"The festival Prague Pride means joy, knowledge, respect, pride and tolerance," Walek said.
Aster Svoboda officially supported the event, the City Hall received about 60 letters most of which expressed disagreement with the festival and Svoboda´s support to it, City Hall spokeswoman Tereza Krasenska told CTK.
According to CTK information, one of the letters was written by Education Ministry's personnel section head Ladislav Batora, chairman of the D.O.S.T. conservative group and former candidate of the extremist National Party (NS).
Batora told Parlamentni listy.cz that the D.O.S.T would hand over a letter to Svoboda and U.S. Ambassador to Prague Norman Eisen in protest against their support for the Prague Pride Festival.
The Committee for Parental Rights Protection also addressed an open protest letter to Svoboda.
Svoboda, however, insists on his positive stance on the festival.
"Homosexuals are living among us and there is no point in pretending that it is not so. Moreover, I am deeply opposed to the division of people according to their skin colour, religious conviction and sexual orientation," Svoboda, who is on holiday, wrote to CTK.
Stastny said he could not see anything wrong in Svoboda having supported the march.
Stastny called Hajek´s reaction to the upcoming festival "nervy and much exaggerated."
"Exactly such reactions of public personalities stir up tension in society," Stastny told CTK.
Stastny also said the Batora-headed D.O.S.T. had called on him to stand up against the Prague Pride festival, which he refused. Stastny stressed that Batora´s opinions were unacceptable to him.
Stastny cooperated with Klaus in the past and he still ranks among the politicians who are considered close to him.
However, Stastny sharply distanced himself from Hajek´s opinions and he compared them to fascists´ views of homosexuality as an illness.
Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz
Prague - The prepared Prague gay carnival is a pressure action and a political demonstration of a world with deformed values, Czech President Vaclav Klaus's aide Petr Hajek wrote in a text published by the server Parlamentni listy.cz today.
Hajek, deputy head of Klaus's office, wrote that homosexuals were "deviant fellow citizens."
Hajek sharply criticised Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) and chairman of the Prague ODS branch Boris Stastny for having supported the planned event.
Hajek said with such views they should leave the ODS as it called itself a right-wing party.
Svoboda and Stastny rejected the criticism.
"The homosexuals' pressure action that will take place under the 'pretty Czech name' gay parade in Prague is not any innocent entertainment," Hajek said.
"It is a serious demonstration of a certain vision of the values in the world. It is a world in which traditional family plays no role," he added.
"In this world, the monster of multiculturalism devours deep national traditions and cultural roots," Hajek wrote.
"It is a world in which sexual or any other deviation is elevated to a virtue, abnormality to a norm, the destruction of society to holy progress," Hajek added.
"A white man, heterosexual and Christian" is typically the endangered species in the world the participants in the event advocate, Hajek said.
The homosexuals' march through Prague will be the culmination of the five-day Festival of Tolerance to be held also under the auspices of Svoboda.
The carnival march of gays, lesbians, transsexuals and members of other minorities called Prague Pride will be held for the first time in Prague.
President of Prague Pride Czeslaw Walek told CTK that Hajek's views were so marginal that they were perhaps not worth reacting.
"The festival Prague Pride means joy, knowledge, respect, pride and tolerance," Walek said.
Aster Svoboda officially supported the event, the City Hall received about 60 letters most of which expressed disagreement with the festival and Svoboda´s support to it, City Hall spokeswoman Tereza Krasenska told CTK.
According to CTK information, one of the letters was written by Education Ministry's personnel section head Ladislav Batora, chairman of the D.O.S.T. conservative group and former candidate of the extremist National Party (NS).
Batora told Parlamentni listy.cz that the D.O.S.T would hand over a letter to Svoboda and U.S. Ambassador to Prague Norman Eisen in protest against their support for the Prague Pride Festival.
The Committee for Parental Rights Protection also addressed an open protest letter to Svoboda.
Svoboda, however, insists on his positive stance on the festival.
"Homosexuals are living among us and there is no point in pretending that it is not so. Moreover, I am deeply opposed to the division of people according to their skin colour, religious conviction and sexual orientation," Svoboda, who is on holiday, wrote to CTK.
Stastny said he could not see anything wrong in Svoboda having supported the march.
Stastny called Hajek´s reaction to the upcoming festival "nervy and much exaggerated."
"Exactly such reactions of public personalities stir up tension in society," Stastny told CTK.
Stastny also said the Batora-headed D.O.S.T. had called on him to stand up against the Prague Pride festival, which he refused. Stastny stressed that Batora´s opinions were unacceptable to him.
Stastny cooperated with Klaus in the past and he still ranks among the politicians who are considered close to him.
However, Stastny sharply distanced himself from Hajek´s opinions and he compared them to fascists´ views of homosexuality as an illness.
Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz
