Former Soviet dissident warns democracy being rapidly dimantled in Europe.
PARIS, France, January 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A member of France’s ruling party has been fined almost $4,000 for comments opposing homosexuality, under the country’s hate speech law.
Christian Vanneste was fined by a court in Douai, in northern France, and charged an additional $2,000 in court fees.
The case stemmed from comments Vanneste made in 2004, when the mayor of a small southwestern community performed a homosexual “marriage”, later declared illegal. Vanneste said homosexuality was “inferior” to heterosexuality and said the practice would be “dangerous for humanity if it was pushed to the limit.”
Three homosexual and lesbian activist groups filed suit against Vanneste under the law criminalizing the incitement of hatred against minorities--homosexuality had recently been included under that law.
The case marks the first instance where the law has been used to bring charges against a member of Parliament, after it was adapted two years ago to prohibit speech against homosexuality.
by Gudrun Schultz for LifesiteNews
