Potatriotique

Protest to mark the anniversary of the state killing of two gay teenagers in Iran
Wednesday July 19th 2006, 5.30pm,
at The Central Bank,
Dame Street

Speakers confirmed so far are:

- Senator David Norris
- Ailbhe Smyth (NLGF and WERRC, UCD)
- Colm O’Gormon (One in Four and PDs)
- Oisin O’Reilly, BeLonG To
- Independent Councillor Mick Rafferty
- Ruairi Quinn, TD (Labour)

BeLonG To Youth Project are organising a protest to mark the first anniversary of the state execution of gay Iranian teenagers Mahmoud Asgari (16) and Ayaz Marhoni (18).

This protest, which will be addressed by Senator David Norris and others, is to show solidarity with LGBT young people in Iran and worldwide who experience state violence and oppression and is part of a global day of protests.

The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation, (PGLO) Iran’s leading gay organisation asks people worldwide to support this day of protest. Arsham Parsi, Secretary of the Human Rights Commission of the PGLO says:

“We urge cities all over the world to show solidarity with our freedom struggle. Your solidarity is tremendously important and effective.”

“We feel great pain when we see human rights advocates ignoring the evidence and failing to speak out against the torture and execution of gay people in our country.

“We know first-hand, from the violent abuse of our members and supporters, that the jailing, flogging and hanging of gay people is official state law and policy.

BeLonG To supports the following demands from the PGLO:

1. End all executions in Iran, especially the execution of minors.

2. Stop the arrest, torture and imprisonment of Iranian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and repeal the Iranian penal code’s criminalisation of same-sex relationships.

3. Halt the deportation to Iran of LGBT asylum seekers and other victims of Tehran’s persecution.

4. Support Iranians struggling for democracy, social justice and human rights.

Please come and bring banners and friends and demonstrate solidarity with all LGBT people who are oppressed and murdered because of who they are.

States Parties shall ensure that:

(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age

- Article 37, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Related articles:

- Doug Ireland’s blog
[PLEASE NOTE: DISTURBING IMAGES WHEN CLICKING THIS LINK]

.
Protests will take place around the world on Wednesday, 19th July to mark this anniversary:

New York, N.Y. — Location: Iranian Mission to the U.N., 622 Third Avenue (at 40th St.) Time: 5:00 P.M. Contact: Andy Humm, Andyhumm@aol.com

Washington, D.C. — Location: DuPont Circle Time: 5:00 P.M. Contact: Rob Anderson rcand@mac.com, Tel. work (202) 508-4446 home (202) 550-8812

San Diego, Cal. — Location: U.S. Federal Building Time: 4:00 pm Contact: Michael Mussman, michaelmussman@yahoo.com

San Francisco, Cal. — Location: Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market Streets Time: 5:00 pm Contact: Michael Petrelis, mpetrelis@aol.com

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-Broward County (South Florida) — details to be announced soon Contact: Michael James, Editor, Independent Gay News, MJames@OurIndependent.com Telephone 954.563.0470

Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Location: Calvary Cathedral, 500 S. Main Avenue. Time: 9:00 pm Contact: Kathy Knobloch, thecenter.colc@midconetwork.com

Seattle, Washington — Location: Seattle Central Community College Plaza, Pine and BroadwayTime: 7:00 pm Contact: George Bakan, editor, Seattle Gay News, sgn2@sgn.org

Chicago, Ill. – Location: Vigil at Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion entrance). Time: 5:30. Contact: Gay Liberation Network, LGBTliberation@aol.com

Tulsa, Oklahoma — Location: Tulsa County Courthouse Place, Vigil Time: 8:30 PM Contact: Laura Belmonte, Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), mobile 918-906-2134

Salt Lake City, Utah — Location: GLBT Community Center Youth Activity Center, 355 North 300 West Time: 6:30 P.M. Contact: Rachel McNeil, rachel@glbtccu.org

Provincetown, Mass. — Location: Town Hall Square Time: 5-6 PM Contact: Andrew Sullivan, andsul@aol.com

Toronto — Location: University of Torontdo, Hart House, Music Room, 7 Hart House Circle. Toronto, Ontario Time: 5-9 P.M. Speakers will include Arsham Parsi, Human Rights Secretary of the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization (PGLO) and an Iranian exile, and local gay and political leaders. Contact: pglo@pglo.net

Vancouver — Location: Vancouver Art Gallery - Robson Plaza Time: 6:00 p.m. Contact: Finn Kovaltsenko, aidengreer@shaw.ca

Dublin, Ireland — Location: Dublin City Centre, The Central Bank, Dame Street Time: 5.30pm, Speakers to include Senator David Norris Contact: BeLonG To Youth Project, belongto@eircom.net telephone 01-8734184;

Mexico City — Location (Lugar): Contempo Cine, Address (Direccion): Londres 161, 1er piso; entre Florencia y Amberes; Time: (Miercoles 19 de julio/)Wednesday Hora: 19:00 Hrs Contact: Enkidu Magazine, info@enkidumagazine.com, Telephone 044 55 2517 5098

Milan, Italy — Location: Corso Magenta 39, in front of the palace where the European Union Commission has its offices Time: 18:30 (6:30 PM) Contact: Fabio Sacca, ARCIGAY youth coordinator, giovani@arcigay.it., Tel. 39-349-1777-021

Warsaw, Poland — Location: Candle-light vigil, 22 Królowej Aldony street Time: 9 P.M. Contact: Lukasz Palucki, luke.santi@eranet.pl

Amsterdam, Netherlands — Location: Homomonument (Keizersgracht canal near Westerkerk)Time: 10 P.M. Contact: René van Soeren of COC, rvansoeren@coc.nl, and Mike Tidmus, tidmus@mac.com

London, England — Location: House of Commons, Committee Room 12 Guest Speakers:Chris_bryant_mp openly gay Labour Party Member of Parliament Chris Bryant MP (photo right), Jean Lambert MEP, Iranian gay activists, Simon Forbes and Peter Tatchell Time: 6:30 pm Contacts: Peter Tatchell, peter@tatchell.freeserve.co.uk & Brett Lock, brettlock@gmail.com

Stockholm, Sweden — Location: Iranian Embassy, Elfviksvägen Västra Yttringe gård Lidingö Time: 5:00 P.M. (17:00) Contact: Bill Schiller, bill.schiller@sr.se (Supported by Tupilak, Nordic Homo Council, Nordic Rainbow Humanists, and International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network Information Secretariat)

Marseille, France — Location: Le Vieux Port Time: 7 PM (19h) Sponsored by a collective of 15 gay organizations. Contact: Philippe Colomb (philippe.colomb@si-lgbt.org) and Hussein Bourgi (husseinbourgi@hotmail.com)

Moscow, Russia — Location and Time to be announced in Moscow at the last minute, to prevent disruption by fascists or police. Contact: Nicolas Alexeyev, GayRussia.ru and nicolas_alexeyev@yahoo.com

Brussels, Belgium — Location: Brussels Stock Exchange Time:8 PM to 11PM (20h a 23h) Contact: Stephen Barris, ILGA stephenbarris@ilga.org

Vienna, Austria — Location: Office of IranAir (official airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran), A-Wien 1010 Opernring; Time: to be announced Contact: HOSI Wien and Bettina Nemeth, Obfrau Tel. 0699-11965265; Christian Högl, Obmann Tel. 0699-11811038; Kurt Krickler, Tel. (01) 5451310 oder 0664-5767466
office@hosiwien.at.: 5245 34 408 ZVR-Nr

Gloucester, England — Location: The Coach and Horses pub, Saint Catherine’s Street, Gloucester. Time: 8:00 PM

…Or so, perhaps, RTÉ’s reporting would have us believe.

On Monday (10 July 2006), RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock News carried a report by Eileen Magnier about the resettlement of a number of Iranian Kurdish refugees in County Mayo under the UN refugee settlement programme.

Magnier reported that “the refugees” were “all eager to express their gratitude to the Minister for Justice for their new life in Ireland”. [Emphasis mine.]

Really, Eileen? And did they hold their caps in hand, avert their gaze to the ground and say, “Yessum, missah Justice, suh. We sho’ is thankful to yuh..”?

The report can be viewed here. (RealPlayer required)

I’ve also included a transcript of the report below:

* * *

McDowell welcomes Iranian Kurd refugees

Anne Doyle (anchor): The first of sixty-five Iranian Kurds to come to Ireland under the UN refugee resettlement programme were welcomed by the Minister for Justice today. One-hundred and eighty Kurds will settle here altogether, and their new life begins in Ballyhaunis in County Mayo with an initial language and integration programme.

[Video begins]

Eileen Magnier (reporter): This is where the Iranian Kurds who are settling in Ireland have come from: a refugee camp in northern Jordan, with very poor conditions. Most have lived there for twenty-five years, and were desperate to get out.

[Interviewee (unnamed):] “If I don’t go to Ireland, I want to die.”

Today, the refugees are in Ballyhaunis - the adults signing up for language classes, the children already learning new skills - all eager to express their gratitude to the Minister for Justice for their new life in Ireland; especially one family, whose daughter was left behind when they fled Iran, but who were re-united by the Irish re-settlement programme.

[Interviewee Mohammed Waisi (father), speaking through a translator:] “And now, myself and my daughter will live together, and we are very happy in this country.”

[Interviewee Joana Waisi (daughter), speaking through a translator:] “I’m very happy; I’m very glad I met my family again, and thanks for your help that .. you did for us.”

[Interviewee, Sattar Nasri:] “All my life I have been living in a refugee camp.”

[Reporter:] What was that like?

[Sattar Nasri:] “Really, living in the camps, it’s too hard.”

[Interviewee, Aftaw Allakarme:] “We can’t [go] out of the camp without any police - without garda - and we can’t go to the school, like here. Now we can go to school, we can be a thing for ourselves - for the future.”

[Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell:] “Wonderful people. I mean, when you think of what they’ve gone through - I mean, literally they’ve been living under cardboard for fifteen years in the middle of nowhere. Each and every one of them seems to me to have a sparkle in their eye and a great appetite for living in Ireland and integrating into Ireland.”

I’ve been pondering this for quite some time. I wonder if I’m alone . . .

Separated at birth?
(In looks as much as mental “capacity”..)

You be the judge . . .