GUE/NGL MEPs have hailed Parliament's adoption today of a report that condemns homophobia in Europe.

Following the vote GUE/NGL rapporteur on the file Dennis de Jong said: “According to the likes of Marine Le Pen this report is about the introduction of EU-wide gay marriage. This is simply nonsense. It is about preventing discrimination of same-sex couples. Parliament's adoption of this report is a positive step as it will put pressure on the Commission to finally produce a roadmap against homophobia before the end of the current mandate.”

“This is a courageous and timely report,” said GUE/NGL MEP Connie Ernst. “Human rights are not special rights; they are basic and cover all aspects of our lives. We must stop discrimination. This is a very good report because it says everybody should be equal regardless of their lifestyle. People should be able to live how they like. This is not something that should have a question mark over it.”

GUE/NGL MEP Paul Murphy commented: “Like other MEPs, I have been inundated with emails claiming that this report represents an attack on the freedom of speech – because it condemns homophobia. But this is ironic given that we have real attacks on the freedom of speech when the voices of those who call out homophobia are silenced. We cannot allow homophobes to go unchallenged when they hide behind rhetoric and spin.”

GUE/NGL Press Contacts:
Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20