OutRage! News Service-Gay Palestinians - Stop The Killing
May 23 2005, 12:04 PM

"Freedom for all Palestinians", urges OutRage!

Gay Palestinians tortured and murdered by PLO and Hamas

Amnesty International inaction "disappointing"

London – 21 May 2005

Photos - Andrew Wiard -
OutRage! free use photos - see below

"Gay Palestinians are being beaten, tortured and murdered by factions
of the PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority,"
according to Peter Tatchell of the queer rights group OutRage!

"The Palestinian administration tolerates the so-called 'honour'
killing of women who refuse to submit to the strict rules of orthodox
Islam," he added.

OutRage! activists took their message of "Freedom for all Palestinians
– straight and gay, men and women" to the "Free Palestine" rally in
Trafalgar Square, London, today, Saturday 21 May.

"OutRage! supports the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.
The Israeli occupation must end. But so must the violent sexism and
homophobia of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and of the Palestinian
political movements like Hamas and the Palestine Liberation
Organisation (PLO)," said Mr Tatchell.

Under the slogan of "Freedom For All Palestinians" the OutRage!
placards urged:

"No more killing of lesbians & gays by PLO and PA"
"Hamas & PLO torture and murder gays. Shame!"
"Stop "honour" killing of gays & women in Palestine"
"Israel: Stop persecuting Palestine! Palestine: Stop persecuting
queers!"

"Last year, we were shoved, abused, shouted down and threatened by
other protesters, and by stewards and rally organisers from the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). They also blocked out our
placards with their banners," recalls OutRage! campaign coordinator,
Brett Lock.

"This year we received a much more sympathetic reception. Most people
took our leaflets (copy below). We seem to be winning over the
pro-Palestinian movement, despite the efforts of the rally organisers
– the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) – to encourage their
supporters to reject our concerns.

"As we mingled in the crowd distributing leaflets, PSC stewards urged
people not to take our hand-outs and told them, falsely, that we were
lying and trying to split the Palestine solidarity movement. These
dirty, underhand tactics dishonour the Palestinian cause.

"PSC stewards refused to take our leaflets or to discuss the issues we
were raising. A small number of protestors half-heartedly tried to
block our placards with their placards. Apart from a couple of jeers
of 'faggots', most other protestors eagerly took our leaflets and
several expressed overt support for the rights of Palestinian women
and gay people. In contrast to last year, the sympathies of those
attending the rally seem to have shifted in our favour.

"Some protesters said raising gay and women’s rights at a Free
Palestine protest was 'inappropriate'. For these people there is never
an appropriate time to press for the rights of women and gays. Our
rights are never a priority. We are always expendable for the sake of
the bigger, wider cause.

"OutRage! is disappointed by Amnesty International's inaction on this
issue.
Amnesty has declined our requests to report on the torture and murder
of gay Palestinians, stating that it lacks the resources. The OutRage!
website, however, documents evidence that Amnesty could easily
corroborate and publish. We are very disappointed by Amnesty’s
reluctance to defend the human rights of lesbian and gay
Palestinians.

"Examples of violent homophobic persecution by the Palestinian
factions and the Palestinian Authority can be found on the OutRage!
website www.outrage.org.uk (go to Briefings and then to Palestinian
Gays).

"Since last year, when we protested at the Free Palestine rally, we
tried to have a dialogue with the PSC but they refuse to meet us. They
have also ignored our dossier on the abuse of gay Palestinians and our
requests for them to raise the torture and murder of queers with the
Palestinian authorities. In effect, the PSC colludes with the
torturers and killers of queers. That is why we had to protest.

"Our presence made many supporters of the Palestinian struggle aware
of the violent homophobic persecution inflicted on Palestinian
lesbians and gays. We hope they will now support the just struggle of
gay Palestinians and pressure the Palestinian movements and government
to halt their homophobic victimisation," concluded Mr Lock.

OutRage! is urging everyone who wants justice and freedom for the
women and gay people of Palestine to protest to the Palestinian
representative in the UK, Afif Safieh. Email him:
 Palestinianuk@aol.com

'Free for use' photos:
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=PalestineDemo01
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=PalestineDemo02
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=PalestineDemo03
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/imagezoom.asp?file=PalestineDemo04

Further information: Brett Lock OutRage! 0770 843 5917

Full text of the OutRage! leaflet handed out at the Free Palestine
protest on 21 May 2005

Freedom for all Palestinians

Stop killing women and gays

OutRage! is here today to support the Palestinian struggle for freedom
and justice. The Israeli occupation must end.

But we are also here to protest against the so-called "honour" killing
of Palestinian women, and the arrest, jailing, torture and murder of
lesbian and gay Palestinians by factions of the PLO, Hamas, Islamic
Jihad and the Palestinian Authority.

Freedom for Palestine doesn't mean freedom for straight men to abuse
the human rights of Palestinian women and gays. Israeli occupation is
no excuse for violent sexism and homophobia.

Examples of Palestinian homophobic persecution can be found on the
OutRage! website www.outrage.org.uk (go to Briefings and then to
Palestinian Gays).

At the request of Palestinian women and gay people, for nearly 10
years OutRage! has attempted to raise these issues with the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign and with the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.
All our letters, faxes and emails are ignored. All our requests for
meetings have been rejected. All our dossiers on these human rights
abuses are dismissed.

That is why we are here today: the PSC and PLO/PA refuse to even
discuss the oppression of women and gays. By their silence and
inaction, they collude with it.

The only liberation worth fighting for is liberation for all
Palestinians – men and women, straight and gay.

Misogyny and homophobia weaken and undermine the Palestinian struggle
by setting men against women and straights and gays. Now, more than
ever, the Palestinian nation needs to be united to fight Israeli
oppression. There can be no unity, and no victory, while the
Palestinian leadership tolerates the oppression of women and gays.

Please join us in protesting to the Palestinian representative in the
UK, Afif Safieh. Email him:  Palestinianuk@aol.com

Freedom for Palestine – including women and gay Palestinians

ENDS
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