• LGBTIQ*
• Offene Briefe

Brief zu lgbtiqphopben Vorfällen bei einer Jugendkonferenz im Europäischen Parlament

To:
David Maria SASSOLI
President of the European Parliament
Cc:
Helena DALLI
EU Commissioner for Equality
Věra JOUROVÁ
EU Commissioner for Values and Democracy

Dear President Sassoli,
Dear Commissioner Dalli,
Dear Commissioner Jourová,

The European Youth Event (EYE) took place in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 October. This year’s edition
was particularly important because its conclusions were to feed into the discussions on the
Conference on the Future of Europe. This place of meeting, reflection and debate was particularly
important because young civil society could participate directly in the construction of the European
project.

Unfortunately, this space has been sullied by the attitude and behaviour of the extreme right, which
has made attacks on the fundamental rights and freedoms of participants. Some colleagues brought
to your attention the xenophobic and racist attacks on some groups of young people and, by means
of this letter, we would like to add to this denunciation the attacks against the LGTBIQ+
community. In one of the discussion sessions precisely on LGTBIQ+ rights, lgbtiqphobic
proclamations were made and the event was boycotted. In the video of this link you can see what
happened in the room and the denunciation of one of the participants who were there.

The European Union strives to uphold values and fundamental rights, but it often fails to ensure that
they are respected and fulfilled. The permissiveness of such speeches is completely intolerable,
especially on the premises of the European Parliament. Any attack on human rights has no place in
democracy, least of all in the seat of European sovereignty.

We therefore call on President Sassoli and the Commissioners to make a public statement on the
attacks on LGTBIQ+ during the European Youth Event and to launch an investigation to hold those
responsible for these proclamations accountable for their actions.
Safeguarding fundamental rights in the European Union will depend on how strongly we react
today.

Sincerely,
Idoia Villanueva Ruiz (The Left)
María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop (The Left)
Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA)
Sira Rego (The Left)
Manu Pineda (The Left)
Kira Peter-Hansen (Greens/EFA)
Marisa Matías (The Left)
José Gusmão (The Left)
Marc Angel (S&D)
Nils Ušakovs (S&D)
Monika Vana (Greens/EFA)
Bettina Vollath (S&D)
Diana Riba (Greens/EFA)
Cyrus Engerer (S&D)
Stelios Kouloglou (The Left)
Robert Biedroń (S&D)
Alícia Homs (S&D)
Rosa D´Amato (Greens/EFA)
Rasmus Andresen (Greens/EFA)
Dietmar Köster (S&D)
Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA)
Leïla Chaibi (The Left)
Irena Joveva (Renew)
Maria Arena (S&D)
Cornelia Ernst (The Left)
Nikolaj Villunsen (The Left)
Izaskun Bilbao (Renew)
Hilde Vautmans (Renew)
Özlem Demirel (The Left)
Manuel Bompard (The Left)
Manon Aubry (The Left)
Fred Matić (S&D)
Sylwia Spurek (Greens/EFA)
Andreas Schieder (S&D)
Salima Yenbou (Greens/EFA)
Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA)
Evin Incir (S&D)
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA)
Dimitrios Papadimoulis (The Left)
Jordi Solé (Greens/EFA)
Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA)
Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA)
Carles Puigdemont (Non-attached)
Antoni Comín (Non-attached)
Clara Ponsatí (Non-attached)
Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA)
Chris MacManus (The Left)
Anne-Sophie Pelletier (The Left)
Javi López (S&D)
Alviina Alametsä (Greens/EFA)
Younus Omarjee (The Left)
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Greens/EFA)
Malin Björk (The Left)
Liesje Schreinemacher (Renew)
Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA)
Josianne Cutajar (S&D)
Fabio Massimo Castaldo (Non-attached)