The Coalition against Discrimination strongly condemns the opposition of the Democratic Party of Serbia and certain representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church to the application of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination in the case in which the Commissioner for Protection of Equality established that the Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic used the prohibited hate speech in talking about the members of LGBT community. Instead of welcoming the Commissioner’s decision and thus contributing to building a society of tolerance and non-violence, the purpose of such petty-political efforts is to further deepen the gap among the citizens of Serbia, which only contributes to the emergence of new forms of discriminatory practices against the members of LGBT population.
The Coalition against Discrimination stresses that the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination should be applied equally to all those in the Republic of Serbia who commit discrimination, including those individuals who publicly spread the ideas of hatred and violence against the individuals and groups who share certain personal characteristics, regardless of whether the offenders are nationals or foreigners.
The Coalition against Discrimination points out that those who use hate speech cannot hide behind the freedom of expressing their political or religious beliefs, because their own freedom should not be an excuse for violating the rights and freedoms of others. No one is free to promote hatred, violence and discrimination against the individuals and groups that share certain personal characteristics, regardless of whether they are church or party officials.
The Coalition against Discrimination calls upon the highest state representatives to politically condemn, without delay, those who believe that the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination should not be applied in this flagrant case of hate speech and thus send a clear message to all those who do not take seriously the rights and freedoms of individuals and groups in the territory of the Republic of Serbia.
The members of the Coalition against Discrimination are: Center for Advanced Legal Studies, Civil Rights Defenders, Labris - Lesbian Human Rights Organisation, Praxis, Anti-Trafficking Centre, Network of the Committees for Human Rights in Serbia (CHRIS Network), Association of Students with Disabilities, Gayten LGBT, Praxis and Regional Center for Minorities.