CZECKING FROM ABROAD

Are TU leaders entitled to attack homosexuals?

8. 3. 2010 / Fabiano Golgo

Context: Trade union leader Jaromír Dušek dropped a bom at the Czech political scene after telling a newspaper that the transport sector is run by a clique of homosexuals, who supposedly have a tight grip on decision-making and sexually-equals in the government. He refused to apologize for the remarks despite coming under severe criticism, including from Prime Minister Jan Fischer.

Question of the day: "What do you think of the Trade Union Boss' remarks about homosexuals?"

Pavel Musil, 28, works for an IT company in Vancouver - "if this had happened here, this guy would be out [of his job] in less than an hour. What is odd, though, is for someone to say something homophobic in our country, where there is so little discrimination against gays."

Bara Máchalová, 27, waitress in Melbourne: "what a Neanderthal! I am still amazed how such dinosaurs survived the change of regime. When I see the picture of this guy and his tie, his suit, his hairdo... it all screams communism! Like vegetables in the former regime: pickled conserves! Isn't there some law against this type of insults against humans?"

Libor Pařík, 33, NGO activist in Paris: "if he had said that here he would be in jail! For inciting discrimination. It takes a strong and participative society for ANY hate-speech to be punished, though, and ours is not like that at all. But I don't believe Czechs are hatemongers or anti-homosexuals, actually we are one of the most tolerant in the world. We are not like the Poles..."

Magda Králíková, 32, advertiser in Belgrade: "Horrible, what to say? We have the leaders we deserve, they are the reflection of our lack of presence in public discourse. We were the lab rats for a group of people following Russian ignorants, now we are ignorants following ourselves."

Martin Šábach, 29, graphic designer in Cape Town: "One thing is to argue against gay marriage or adoption, this happens here often, but to talk about some conspiracy of homosexuals in such a heterosexual environment as the transportation field is very Czech, it has all to do with our humor. It has to be a joke, isn't it?"

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Obsah vydání | Úterý 16.3. 2010