Council Of Europe Chick To England: You Idiots Have Some Enlightenment Coming

Telegraph – “Banning corporal punishment is the model that the Council of Europe would like countries to follow. You can call it ’pressure’ if you like, but we are not about to shove anything down your throats. It is a matter of time and understanding, and we think that time will prove that we are on the right side of the debate on whether to ban corporal punishment of children.”

Yawn. Bored “Human Rights” Thugs Take Another Looking At Spanking

Daily Mail - Parents who smack their children should be prosecuted for assault, a European human rights group said last night.

The Council of Europe is calling for a complete ban on smacking across the continent, saying even the smallest slap can leave psychological damage.

One official even compared parents who smack to men who violently beat their wives.

Julius: The “Human Rights” Religion

Guardian, Anthony Julius – As for the appropriations of, and accommodations with, liberal positions, the general abandonment of Marxist positions in favour of liberal or post-liberal ones is evident wherever one looks, but particularly evident, perhaps, among France’s political theorists. The “class struggle” between 1848 and 1936 encouraged people on the left to regard rights as mere abstractions, aspects of bourgeois ideology that concealed and legitimised the subordination of one class to another. But this supersession of rights by communism did not take place: on the contrary, it was by exposing the absence of “rights” in the Soviet Union and its satellites that communism was discredited.

A human rights discourse now dominates politics; there is a powerful human rights “movement”. It is the new secular religion of our time.

Don’t Write A Rebuttal, A Book, Film A Documentary, Or Make A Speech. Sue.

AP – A human rights group is suing a Swiss newspaper for denying there was a Serb genocide of Bosnian Muslims in the town of Srebrenica in 1995.

Fadila Memisevic, of the Bosnian branch of the Germany-based Society for Threatened Peoples, said her organization filed suit jointly Monday with the Swiss Association Against Impunity, TRIAL, in Lausanne. Swiss law prohibits genocide denial.

Kheiriddin: Those Trippy “Human Rights”

National Post, Tasha Kheiriddin – Just what is a human right?  The right to life?  To freedom from oppression?  To equal treatment before the law?  How about to… vacations?

Yep, you read that right.  Apparently the good bureaucrats in the European Union, not satisfied with the mere time off that they receive, have decreed that travelling during that time is a right as well.

Remembering Lech Kaczynski: Bummer Dude Had The Gall To Mention Abortion

CNS News – In 2007 Poland angered its European partners when it stood alone in opposing plans to hold a symbolic “European day against the death penalty,” denying the 27-member union the consensus it needed to go ahead with the event.

Warsaw argued that Europe should instead mark a “right to life” day, with abortion and euthanasia on the agenda along with capital punishment.

Sure, Shooting Women Is Bad, But Jamming Satellites Is Unacceptable

SMH – EU foreign ministers have vowed to “act” against the Iranian state’s unacceptable jamming of satellite broadcasts and internet controls, showing the bloc’s increasing impatience with Tehran.

Europe “calls on the Iranian authorities to stop the jamming of satellite broadcasting and internet censorship and to put an end to this electronic interference immediately”, the European Union’s 27 foreign ministers said in an agreed statement on Monday.

Jim, Meet Mary. Jim, You’re Fired.

Economist – IF YOU are a youngish man who sits on a European corporate board, you should worry: the chances are that your chairman wants to give your seat to a woman. In January the lower house of France’s parliament approved a new law which would force companies to lift the proportion of women on their boards to 40% by 2016. The law would oblige France’s 40 biggest listed firms to put women into 169 seats currently occupied by men. Spain has also introduced a quota at 40%, to be reached by 2015. Italy and the Netherlands are contemplating similar measures. This week Britain’s government threatened to make companies report formally on their recruitment of female directors.

Court of Europe to Italy: Lose The Crosses

Times of Malta – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Parliament yesterday that the Maltese government had asked to intervene in the hearings of the European Court of Human Rights which was considering an appeal filed by Italy against a decision to remove crucifixes from public places.

In its first decision, the Strasbourg-based court of the Council of Europe had upheld a request by a Finnish woman, Soile Lautsi, for the removal of crucifixes in a school attended by her children in Italy. The court had found that the display of crucifixes in Italian schools breached the rights of non-Catholic families.

Council of Europe: Follow the New Rule Book, Dummies

Jurist – Hammarberg stressed that European governments considering bans on burqas and niqabs should first look to Articles 8 and 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights before making any decision.

Council Of Europe To Macedonia: Legalize Same-Sex Partnerships

More from the Who’s In Charge Around Here? file.

[Pink News] The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights has published a report into the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Macedonia.

Thomas Hammarberg said that the “atmosphere and attitude towards LGBT persons” in the former Yugoslav Republic has improved.  

However, he concluded that certain persisting discriminatory attitudes exist at all levels, and legal safeguards are insufficient.

“Legal protections against discrimination remain particularly weak,” he said.

…

“Education is the key to informing and developing a culture of tolerance and inclusiveness. Human rights education programmes should be developed and expanded for Governmental officials including police officers and judicial officials at all levels, and also for school-going students.

“There should be a possibility of legal recognition of same sex partnership.”

New UN Human Rights Chief: Please Come To The Conference

Maybe some countries aren’t going because they know you merely want their news cameras and publicity. Just a guess.

[Reuters] The new U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanetham Pillay, called on Monday for an open debate about racism and religious intolerance, taking aim at countries threatening to boycott a summit on those issues.

In her first speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council, the former International Criminal Court judge said next April’s already-contentious U.N. conference on racism and xenophobia would be impoverished if the United States and others sat it out.

“Let’s not forget that diversity of opinions is often an inherent and welcome characteristic of relationships among peers,” she said.

…

The United States and Israel walked out of the last big U.N. summit on anti-racism, held in Durban in 2001, saying it had become a forum for anti-Semitism.

Canada has said it will not take part in the follow-up meeting planned for Geneva, and the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and France have said they may stay away if Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians again stands to eclipse all else.

EU Parliament: No More Sexist Ads

Bye, Girls.

[Telegraph] MEPs want TV regulators in the EU to set guidelines which would see the end of anything deemed to portray women as sex objects or reinforce gender stereotypes.

This could potentially mean an end to attractive women advertising perfume, housewives in the kitchen or men doing DIY.

Such classic adverts as the Diet Coke commercial featuring the bare-chested builder, or Wonderbra’s “Hello Boys” featuring model Eva Herzigova would have been banned.

The new rules come in a report by the EU’s women’s rights committee.

Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson urged Britain and other members to use existing equality, sexism and discrimination laws to control advertising.

She wants regulatory bodies set up to monitor ads and introduce a “zero-tolerance” policy against “sexist insults or degrading images.”

Iranian Nukes? No Sweat. Geneva Science Experiment? Against Human Rights.

[Telegraph] Critics of the Large Hadron Collider – a £4.4 billion machine due to be switched on in ten days time – have lodged a lawsuit at the European Court for Human Rights against the 20 countries, including the UK, that fund the project.

The device is designed to replicate conditions that existed just a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, and its creators hope it will unlock the secrets of how the universe began.

However, opponents fear the machine, which will smash pieces of atoms together at high speed and generate temperatures of more than a trillion degrees centigrade, may create a mini-black hole that could tear the earth apart.

Scientists involved in the project have dismissed the fears as “absurd” and insist that extensive safety assessments on the 17 mile long particle accelerator have demonstrated that it is safe.

Human Rights Commission Opens A New Revenue Stream

From the Keep The Business Booming file.

[Holiday Lettings] New EU legislation has been introduced to give disabled travellers more rights. Disabled air passengers will receive more help when using EU airports.

…

A recent survey by the charity revealed that 61 per cent of respondents had experienced difficulties when boarding a plane. Disabled passengers will now be able to voice their concerns with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure that the new legislation is properly enforced.

The rest.

Dutch Court: Olly Olly Oxen Free

[Radio Netherlands] The highest hurdle has gone: would-be immigrants who want to live with their partners or families in the Netherlands do not need to pass citizenship tests in their own country first. They no longer face a Dutch language test and difficult questions about society in the Netherlands. The change came about because of a ruling delivered by an Amsterdam court hearing a case brought by a Moroccan woman against the Dutch state.

The rest.

Anchors To Tail Obama, Europe Salivates

[Washington Post] The three network anchors will travel to Europe and the Middle East next week for Barack Obama‘s trip, adding their high-wattage spotlight to what is already shaping up as a major media extravaganza.

Lured by an offer of interviews with the Democratic presidential candidate, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric will make the overseas trek, meaning that the NBC, ABC and CBS evening newscasts will originate from stops along the route and undoubtedly give it big play.

John McCain has taken three foreign trips in the past four months, all unaccompanied by a single network anchor.

…

The upcoming Obama trip, by contrast, has already generated stories about how large his crowds will be and whether German authorities will allow him to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. “Europe Awaits Obama With Open Arms,” the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

The rest.

Copenhagen Prepares For World Outgames

[Windy City Times] One year to go.That’s the attitude—and reality—in Copenhagen, as the capitol of Denmark prepares for what likely will be the largest LGBT sporting event of 2009.

The second-annual World Outgames will be held in Copenhagen July 25—Aug. 2, 2009, with 38 different sports disciplines, from aerobics to wrestling, for competitors of all skill levels. In addition, there will be a wide variety of cultural events, including performances, exhibitions and parties. World Outgames 2009 also will feature a human-rights conference addressing issues and concerns of the LGBT community.

…

[Mark Northern, Director of Marketing]: …Montreal was a fantastic event, but there were vendors who were left holding the bag until they found a resolution a few years later.

WCT: So, have those 2006 vendors been paid?

MN: I can’t speak to that; I just don’t know. The latest report that I heard was, a compromise was reached between the city, the organizers and the vendors. But I don’t know what that meant or what they actually received for the outstanding debts.

WCT: Will any of the people from Montreal Organizing Committee be involved with 2009?

MN: No.

The rest.

Careful, Stephen. You Could Be Exposing Apes To Hatred Or Contempt

[New York Times] Spain’s parliament recently passed a resolution granting legal rights to apes. Reaction has been mixed. Peter Singer, a Princeton University bioethics professor and animal liberation activist, declared the vote to be of “world historical significance.” The comedian Stephen Colbert — flashing a photo of a performing chimpanzee — insisted that the new law had better not give apes “the right to not wear a tuxedo and roller skates.”

The rest.

Aussie Mag: When Are We Finally Going To Be Like Europe?

[The Age] It is no accident that Europe, one of the most powerful regions, and certainly the most peaceful and prosperous, in the world, comprises a community of states with a shared commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights and to robust regional institutions. The legitimacy and ability of Australia to promote human rights and good government internationally and in the region is significantly compromised by the lack of a charter of bill of rights at the national level.

European Court Of Human Rights: UK Laws Violate Privacy Rights

[Out-Law] The Court found that the UK’s wide and secretive surveillance laws are “not in accordance with the law” and that they violate the right to privacy guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

Civil liberties groups Liberty and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties took the UK Government to the Court over allegations that their communications had been intercepted between 1990 and 1997.

The rest.

French Reporter To Bono: Why Is Your Pip-Squeak Country Holding Europe Hostage?

Regarding Ireland voting “no” to the Lisbon Treaty:

Do you feel Europe might be bankrupt? A diminutive country is holding 500,000,000 people to ransom…

You know, it’s not up to me to comment on European unity. At this point in time, I don’t think Ireland wishes to hold back Europe’s progress. I genuinely think the Irish people were not sure about the implications, and that that is why they vote no.

The rest.

Plus, an excerpt from the Give Me The Answer I’m Looking For file. Reporter to Bono, closing down the interview:

The US could well have a black president soon. Do you think his Kenyan extraction might make a difference – in the US and in Africa? And, while we’re at it, will he win?

…

So Obama in the White House would be good news for the world and for Africa?

I think it will be very good news for the world. But I hasten to add that John McCain is a supporter of our ideas too.

So who would you vote for?

Once I put on my One T-shirt, I gave up my right to be from the Left or from the Right. This is the one thing both can agree on. So I’m basically an unusual Irish rock star (because we never shut up) but I will remain mute about who I would vote for were I American.

Irish People To EU: You Don’t Speak For Us

[Int'l Herald Tribune] Europe was thrown into political chaos Friday by Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, a painstakingly negotiated blueprint for consolidating the European Union’s power and streamlining its increasingly unwieldy bureaucracy.

The rest.

Norway Legalises Gay Marriage

[Pink News] Members of Parliament in Norway today approved a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry.

The new law, which passed by 84 votes to 41, will make marriage gender neutral.

The Scandinavian country already allows gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil partnerships, but LGBT rights groups had long complained the law does not go far enough.

The rest.

UK Flies Gay Pride Flag Over Embassy In Poland

[UK Gay News] Diplomatic protocol was ‘adjusted’ to include LGBT people and to honour Warsaw Pride, its organisers and participants – to send out a message of support to Polish LGBT persons and to celebrate the achievement of the development of Pride in Poland.

As previously reported at 4pm on Friday, HM’s Ambassador to Poland, Ric Todd, raised the Rainbow Flag on the official flagpole beside the Union Flag.

“This small gesture is a symbol of the British Embassy’s commitment to equality and acceptance for all,” he said.  “This weekend’s Pride March will be a celebration of diversity in Poland, Europe and beyond.

The rest.