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Belgrade Gay Pride Marchers Attacked By Violent Anti-Gay Demonstrators In Historic Parade

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Riot Police Battle Right-Wing Serbian Nationalists.

Serbian turns corner embracing democratic values

EXCLUSIVE – By Tanya Domi

Editor’s note: Tanya Domi has an extensive background in human rights and LGBT politics, both domestic and international. (See her bio below.) This is her first official piece as a regular contributor to The New Civil Rights Movement.

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2010–For the first time in Serbian history, an estimated 1,000 gay pride marchers hit the streets of Belgrade today, under the protection of hundreds of riot police, who were forced to deploy tear gas to protect marchers, as they battled right-wing nationalist rioters who attacked the parade at various points by throwing bricks, bottles and upending vehicles, along its route in downtown Belgrade.

Nearly 140 persons were injured; mostly police and 17 civilians, of whom 57 sought medical attention, according to B92 News.  Police used armored vehicles in battle with more than 6,000 right-wing “hooligans,” who sang patriotic football songs while throwing bricks, stones and bottles at police. B92 also reports that 207 were arrested and 100 remain in jail tonight.

Serbian Human and Minority Rights Minister Svetozar Čiplić and representatives of the ruling Democratic Party, the Liberal party, NGOs and European Union joined the LGBT marchers in solidarity behind a banner that said “We Can Together” while chanting “together against fascism”.

What a difference a year makes, when Prime Minister Mirko Cvetokic in 2009 told LGBT organizers that they could not hold a Pride parade because of safety concerns and if they persisted to march they would be found financially liable for all damages to city property.

President Boris Tadic’s government, feeling the pressure of European Union accession criteria that stipulates to adopting non-discrimination legislation against LGBT persons (and demonstrated respect for the rule of law) and added pressure increased with wide public support by the International Community urging Belgrade to host a successful gay pride parade after a decade of unfulfilled efforts by dedicated LGBT activists.  Tadic’s Western leaning government finally came through by putting a significant and well organized police presence on the streets of Belgrade.

The Serbian political ruling class came face-to-face with its violent legacy of xenophobic nationalism today as the streets of Belgrade became a new battleground against fellow Serbian citizens who are gay.  This new target is not a significant departure from its sordid recent past as Serb nationalists in power targeted and demonized “other” populations and perpetuated horrific crimes against Bosniaks, Croats and Kosovars in neighboring states.

These hooligans tout themselves as patriotic and religious Serbs who protect all that is sacred about Serbia according to their definition and are entwined with radical elements of the Serbian Orthodox Church, creating a clero-fascism axis that remains a potent political force within Serbia today.  An illustration of just how perverse the thinking of Serbian Orthodox priests about gays was in evidence after the march concluded when priests descended on “sacred space” in downtown Belgrade, issuing prayers while “cleansing” with incense, which had been “polluted” by the presence of homosexuals, according to local sources to this blog.

What is different now, is that Tadic, together with State Prosecutor Tomo Zorić, immediately announced after Pride had concluded that prosecutors and the police will take all necessary steps to identify rioters engaged in attacks on the police and marchers and were firm in commitment to enforce the rule of law for crimes of intolerance.

Despite the violence, Serbia turned a corner today toward embrace of Democratic values and rule of law in its efforts to support those among them who are LGBT.  The government enforced the right to freedom of expression and assembly as LGBT proudly walked the streets of Belgrade for the first time in history.

Nonetheless, the government has considerable unfinished business:  an important arrest awaits fugitive Bosnian General Ratko Mladic, believed to be living in Serbia, who is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity and must be turned over to the International War Crimes Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, Netherlands.  Ongoing cooperation with the Court is a necessary hurdle for Serbia’s admission to the EU.

After the Pride march concluded today, marchers and their supporters held a party to celebrate. Despite the violence, LGBT marchers and their supporters had reason to celebrate and so should the government, who finally has thus far, taken all the actions expected of a well functioning democracy.

Tanya L. Domi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, who teaches about human rights in Eurasia and is a Harriman Institute affiliated faculty member. Prior to teaching at Columbia, Domi worked internationally for more than a decade on issues related to democratic transitional development, including political and media development, human rights, gender issues, sex trafficking, and media freedom. Her previous work in Bosnia and Herzegovina implementing the Dayton Peace Accords, 1996-2000, included stints as chair for the OSCE Media Experts Commission during the 1998 general elections, counselor to U.S. Amb. Robert Barry and as executive assistant to the late U.S. Amb. Robert Frowick.  She later served as Spokesperson and Director of Press and Public Information under Amb. Barry, 1999-2000.

Prior to working abroad, Domi became a nationally known LGBT rights activist in the United States as the legislative director and military freedom initiative director at the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce, 1992-1994, where she worked to repeal the ban on lesbians and gays who served in the military and was directly involved in drafting and original introduction of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 1994.  She has been actively involved in the effort to repeal DADT during the past two years as a blogger and speaker, with expertise as a result of her 15 years of service in the U.S. Army as an enlisted soldier and commissioned officer.

Domi has worked in a dozen countries and most recently was a consultant in Southern Sudan where she provided training on developing presentation skills to the public and the media for the president, vice-president and several cabinet ministers of the Government of Southern Sudan.  Domi has a Masters of Arts in Human Rights from Columbia University, with a regional specialty in East Central Europe and The Balkans.

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OPINION

‘Israel Aid, Ukraine Aid, Kitchenaid’: Dem Mocks GOP’s ‘Hands Off Our Appliances’ Week

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Last year in January, in the wake of a study that found 650,000 children have developed asthma because of gas stoves, Bloomberg News reported: “US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears.”

There was no ban in the works or on the way, and the chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was forced to issue a statement promising, “I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”

Republicans however, went on the attack, with some, like U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a physician, shouting on social media, “I’ll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands. COME AND TAKE IT!!”

Congressman Jackson soon doubled-down, appearing on Newsmax.

One month later, West Virginia Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin teamed up with several Republicans to protect Americans’ “right” to non-electric cooking.

READ MORE: ‘I’m Not Talking About That Meeting’: Noem Implies She May Have Met With Kim Jong Un

“Gas stoves have been in the news lately and I’ve come out strongly against the Consumer Product Safety Commission pursuing any ban of gas stoves,” Manchin declared, despite there being no possibility of that. “In fact, I’m introducing legislation today with Senator [Ted] Cruz that would ensure that they don’t and separately sending a letter to the commission with Senator [James] Lankford.”

For decades the scientific community has known about the health dangers of gas stoves, but Americans love them and there are no plans to have any federal government agency coming to take them away.

The Biden administration would like to help Americans buy new, energy-saving home appliances, but Republicans oppose those efforts as well.

Nearly sixteen months later, Republicans are still working to protect Americans from what some have suggested will be the federal government knocking on the doors of U.S. citizens to take away their gas stoves.

Last month, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was all set to revive the House’s focus on ensuring Americans can continue to grill baby grill – indoors – childhood asthma-be-damned, and nearly put HR 6192, the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act, and several others on the floor for votes, including:

The “Liberty in Laundry Act” (HR 7673), the “Clothes Dryers Reliability Act (HR 7645), the “Refrigerator Freedom Act” (HR 7637), the “Affordable Air Conditioning Act” (HR 7626), and the “Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act” (HR 7700).

But at the last minute he changed the schedule after aid to Ukraine and Israel became the national focus.

READ MORE: Judge Hands Trump ‘Incarceration’ Threat as Experts Say Next Time He’ll Toss Him in Jail

MSNBC’s Steve Benen reports Monday, “the ‘Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act’ … will likely reach the floor this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.”

One year ago this month, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) delivered amusing remarks during a House hearing.

“I want to apologize on behalf of the Democratic Party that we have decided to put kids’ safety, in their neighborhoods from getting gunned down, in movie theaters, or grocery stores, or school churches, or synagogues – we as Democrats have clearly lost our way that we are not focused on appliances,” Moskowitz said sarcastically in a viral video.

Now he’s back, along with the House Republicans’ renewed focus on the false fear-mongering the federal government is coming for your home appliances, or is going to ban them.

In response to Axios’ Andrew Solender reporting, “Appliance Week is BACK in the House!” Congressman Moskowitz replied, “Israel aid, Ukraine aid, Humanitarian aid, Kitchenaid.”

He then grew even more sarcastically excited:

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: Congressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds

 

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News

‘I’m Not Talking About That Meeting’: Noem Implies She May Have Met With Kim Jong Un

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Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem continues to make media appearances promoting her new book, which has received massive attention for the story about her shooting to death her 14-month old dog, Cricket, and a goat, and her reportedly false claim she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

But in discussing that apparent lie that appears in her book, Noem appeared to tell a few more – and seemed to suggest she may have actually met with Kim Jong Un but should not have put that meeting in her memoir. Experts have said it’s unlikely she did meet with him.

“The book is called, ‘No Going Back,’ but it sounds like the publisher, Center Street, is going back on a couple of the details in the book,” CBS Mornings told Noem.

“Well, I don’t believe so,” Noem replied.

After hearing the apparently false details of her alleged meeting with Kim Jong Un being read on-air straight from her book, Noem explained, “when I became aware of that we changed the content, and the future editions will be adjusted.”

READ MORE: Judge Hands Trump ‘Incarceration’ Threat as Experts Say Next Time He’ll Toss Him in Jail

Noem also said she’s “met with many, many world leaders, I’ve traveled around the world. I should not have put that anecdote in the book, and at my request they have removed it.”

She was then asked, “That specifically didn’t happen?” but Noem appeared to brush off the question.

“What I’m saying is I’m not talking about that meeting, I’m not talking about my meetings with world leaders, there are some that are in the book and there’s some that are not in the book.”

Asked, “Did you tell your ghost writer to write that?” Noem refused to answer the question.

“I specifically have worked on policy for over 30 years, and over that time I have traveled around the world and met with leaders around the world. And that anecdote, I’ve asked them to change the content, and it will be removed.”

“It’s a simple question, did you or did you not meet with Kim Jong Un?”

“That’s the answer that I have for you,” Noem replied.

READ MORE: Congressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds

She also did not tell CBS why she chose to put it in the book at all, if she knew it was false.

Noem does not mention that she recorded the audio book version for “No Going Back,” and would have read those words about meeting with the North Korean dictator aloud, yet apparently did not ask her publisher to remove it until a local newspaper, The Dakota Scout, published a report starting her account of the event was “in doubt.”

On Sunday, Noem first began to suggest the meeting might have taken place. Speaking with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Axios reported, “Noem declined to talk about specific meetings she had with various world leaders, and never outright said she didn’t meet with Kim during the interview.”

A CBS News transcript of that interview shows “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan saying, “you released video of your recording of the audio book. you didn’t catch these errors when you were recording it?”

“Well, Margaret, as soon as it was brought to my attention, I took action to make sure that it was reflected,” Noem responded, before leaping into an attack on the media.

Also on Sunday, The Independent reported, “North Korea experts say it’s highly unlikely Ms Noem ever met the North Korean leader.”

“From 2011 to 2018, Mr Kim did not leave North Korea, according to University of Notre Dame professor and North Korea expert George Lopez.” The Independent added, “Benjamin Young, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and an expert on North Korea, told The Dakota Scout that Ms Noem’s account of meeting Kim was ‘dubious.'”

“I cover North Korea very closely, and I have never heard of Kim Jong Un meeting congressmen or congresswomen,” Young said.

Watch Noem’s full CBS interview from Monday below or at this link.

READ MORE: RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties

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Judge Hands Trump ‘Incarceration’ Threat as Experts Say Next Time He’ll Toss Him in Jail

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New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan ruled on the tenth allegation of Donald Trump violating his gag order, finding the ex-president in criminal contempt of court and warning the presumptive Republican nominee for president directly that he may put him jail if he again violates the gag order.

“Mr Trump, as you know, the prosecution has filed three separate motions to find you in criminal contempt. It appears that the $1,000 fines are not a deterrent,” Judge Merchan told the defendant Monday morning, as The Guardian reports. Merchan, who is overseeing the Trump criminal trial commonly called the “hush money case” also said, “I have a job to do and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the judicial system.”

“Mr. Trump, last thing I want to do is put you in jail, you are the former president of the United States, and possibly the next president as well,” Merchan told Trump directly, ABC News reported.

“Defendant violated the order by making public statements about the jury and how it was selected,” Merchan’s five-page ruling reads. “In doing so, Defendant not only called into question the integrity, and therefore the legitimacy of these proceedings, but again raised the specter of fear for the safety of the jurors and of their loved ones.”

READ MORE: Congressman Pummeled for Praising Students Mocking Black Protester With Monkey Sounds

MSNBC legal Analyst Danny Cevallos on-air reported he believes Justice Merchan may give Trump one more chance if he violates the gag order but that could be it before ordering him to jail.

“The judge is saying that this is absolutely on the table and that jail could happen and in fact, I think that might justify him doing it sooner rather than later. I mean, maybe one more chance,” Cevallos said.

But former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harry Litman took Justice Merchan’s warning to be a more immediate threat: “So there it is — next time –> jail. The final warning. It’s in Trump’s hands now,” he wrote on social media.

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen appeared to agree with Litman, writing that Trump “was told for violation #11 he’s going to jail.”

“In response to jail warning,” Eisen adds, “Trump gives Judge the absolute laser glare–if looks could kill…”

And former FBI Asst. Director Frank Figliuzzi adds, “I expect the next violation will put Trump in the lock up. He knows that. So if Trump violates again, consider that he views jail as helpful.”

READ MORE: RFK Jr., Embracing Far-Right, Spoke at Fundraiser for Anti-Government Group With J6 Ties

Some legal experts felt Justice Merchan should have imposed a jail sentence for his criminal contempt of court finding.

NBC News/MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner wrote, “yes, it IS way past his jail time.”

See a copy of the final page of Justice Merchan’s ruling below or at this link.

 

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