BY ADOPTING THE “LUNACEK REPORT” THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAS TURNED DOWN HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL

With 394 to 176 votes with 72 abstentions, the European Parliament has today adopted the highly controversial “Lunacek-Report” despite unprecedented massive protests by European citizens. In doing so, the European Parliament has severely damaged its own pretensions to represent the people that elect it. Even worse: by adopting this report, which advocates legal privileges for homosexuals, and at the same time rejecting an alternative motion that called on the EU and its Member States to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by all citizens, the Parliament has put a thick question mark behind its claim to be an institution that protects human rights.

In other words, the European Parliament has with today’s vote rejected the principle of universality of human rights. This is a day of shame.
Given that this blog was the only website to publish a full and comprehensive analysis of the report, there is no need for us to expand on its problematic content once again. The glaring inconsistencies of this document will of course remain inconsequential as long as no attempt will be made to put it into practice – but it is clear that any attempt to adopt or implement a “roadmap” of the kind that was proposed by Mrs. Lunacek will trigger renewed, and even stronger, resistance from civil society.

Despite the outcome of today’s vote, we can say that we are standing at a watershed in the cultural war that is currently taking place in Europe. This war will not be won in one day. But the situation has changed considerably: until a very short time ago, the homosexualist/feminist/abortionist lobbies could consider the EU’s institutions to be the perfect place for promoting their agenda without any public scrutiny: these institutions are far removed from ordinary citizens, but very receptive for the influence of wealthy lobbies (in particular those they have created themselves). For many years, the EU adopted reports, working papers, legislative proposals, etc. to promote homosexuality – and most of the time the wider public was not aware of what was going on. However, the success of the citizens’ initiative “One of Us”, the defeat of the ignominious “Estrela Report”, and the mass mobilization of citizens against the “Lunacek Report” show that the tide is turning: people are now informed about the European Parliament’s activities, and they get involved. Of course, nothing can prevent elected politicians to vote in favour of a text is so overwhelmingly rejected by their electorates. But there is a price to be paid, and this price will be seen at the upcoming elections.

The outcome of today’s vote is particularly damaging for the European People’s Party (EPP), which was nearly split on the matter – but with a majority voting against the advice of its co-rapporteurs Roberta Metsola, who had taken side in favour of the controversial document. The impression is that the EPP has committed the mistake of handing over the responsibility for this file to an inexperienced Member who, instead of properly consulting on the matter, substituted her personal opinions for those of the group she ought to have represented.
For those of us who think that human rights must be universal, the outcome of this vote is disappointing. But it is a defeat without major consequences. On the contrary, the overwhelmingly negative public response to the Lunacek-Report is an encouraging sign that the true understanding of human rights will in the end prevail. It is now necessary to keep the pressure up high.