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TWO ITALIAN MEN who engaged in a “long and passionate” kiss during a demonstration have been charged with breach of the peace following a police report which claimed their act had “disgusted” passersby.
The men are among six lesbian and gay activists who were formally charged with the public order offence on October 7 following a police investigation into a protest held in the city of Perugia in March.
Human Rights Watch on Thursday described the charges as reflecting prejudiced attitudes and urged Perugia’s prosecutors to drop them.
HRW’s Judith Sunderland said:
They would be laughable if they didn’t reflect exactly the anti-gay sentiment the activists are fighting.
The demonstration which landed the six in trouble was a counter protest to one by a group called Sentinelle in Piedi (Standing Sentries) which is opposed to gay unions and the extension of anti-discrimination legislation to include homosexuals.
The police report on which the charges are based accuses the activists of calling their opponents “fascists” and “bigots” and highlights their “colourful” clothing as well as the kiss.
It states that after being asked to move on, the two men had engaged in “a long and passionate kiss on the mouth… in front of many families with children and teenagers, many of them minors, leaving passersby disgusted at such a display.”
Four of the six activists have also been charged with staging an illegal demonstration.
“Gay men and lesbian women kissing public is not a crime,” HRW’s Sunderland said.
The activists’ actions are clearly protected by their right to peaceful protest.
The Perugia case comes against a background of heightened tensions in Italy over the treatment of same-sex couples.
The Sentries movement staged prayer vigil-style demonstrations in dozens of towns and cities on October 5 over government plans to authorise civil unions for same-sex couples.
Counter-demonstrations led to scuffles and arrests in a number of cities but no charges were brought.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to introduce legislation to allow gay couples to have legally-enshrined partnerships by January.
The government has no plans to follow other European countries by according homosexuals the right to marry, which a majority of Italians oppose.
A number of towns and cities have registered the marriages of gay couples married outside of Italy but Interior Minister Angelino Alfano ordered them to stop the practice earlier this month, saying it had no legal basis.
Some mayors have vowed to defy the order, including Rome’s Ignazio Marino, who registered 16 gay marriages on Saturday.
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Odd that a country that elected the likes of Bunga Bunga man as Prime Minister has a moral problem with two lads having a shift.
What year is it? I’m at a loss here.
Elected – Past tense. Besides a sizeable portion of the population had no problem electing a guy despite knowing full well that he had a thing for ‘very young women’ and lived a lifestyle that resembled the movie Salo yet people are throwing a hissy fit over a snog.I’m commenting on the obvious hypocracy or did I miss the marches on the streets to have him arrested or removed from power on moral grounds ??
I,d say man up but I fprgot so I will just say GROW UP AND BE A MAN ABOUT IT
I think you misunderstood me paddy, my point is I can’t believe this sort of harmless stuff is still causing a stir, sounds like Italy is still in the 50′s
Two people shifting in public, what the big deal?
Haha shifting! Love it
She loves shifting … Enough said !
Would you think it’s OK for the two of them to ate the face off each other in front of children?
Yeah Shawn..kids are people too.
Lighten up ffs
Why not? You’d probably be more comfortable with children watching these two men in an act of violence than an act of love. Says more about you.
I get your points. As long as it’s not your own kids.
Shawn sheep. Your an idiot.
It’s nice to know crime has been eradicated in Italy, the police must be awful bored. Forget New Yorks broken windows policy lets ask the Italians over and find out how they reduced crime so low that cops have time on their hands to be worried about two dudes kissing.
How petty! Its only a kiss for feck sake!
Since when in a kiss a breach of the peace?! Most of the scrotes and junkies in Ireland disgust me, but I don’t think it’s a breach of the peace. Disgraceful by the Italian justice system.
Ailbhe, I’m disappointed in you using that terminology
Cén fáth? Would you prefer me to you anti-social youths and down and out drug addicts/criminals? The point remains, they disgust me, but it’s not worthy of an arrest
I don’t know, I guess I had a different idea of you than someone who is ‘disgusted’ by people with drug problems, you construct yourself as very liberal and sound, guess your liberalism only stretches so far!
The bigger point here is that people were arrested for causing offence or disgust. We really need to move away from these sorts of laws – if you are offended by the behaviour of others you have to accept that the offence is yours, and that other people should not have to alter their behaviour, so long as it is causing no harm, to save you offence. By all means piss & moan about it, and if enough people piss & moan about particular behaviours they will become socially unacceptable, but to expect the law to intervene on behalf of your sensitivities is ludicrous.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Vancouver_Gay_Pride,_3_ao%C3%BBt_2008,_12.jpg
If I wanted to walk down the street like that, say at 9am where primary school kids are going to school and I shouldn’t have to alter my behaviour?
FFS…
There is a big difference in a PDA and nudism.
FFS…
Makes you wonder what they were kissing. Unless it wasn’t on the “lips”, what possibly could be the problem.
“In Italy ” missing from the headline , or was it to make it appear it was in Ireland ?
Hiya Dublinjonny_No.2, it’s there as the hashtag for the article.
Sorry Stephen. The app won’t let me respond to your last comment directly due to an error.
Well I apologise if my phrasing disappointed you, it was to make a point that what disgusts a person is not worthy of arrest.
In truth, drug users don’t disgust me, they are victims of a drug culture. Drug dealers disgust me. Anti-social hooligans do too, because they harm others. Stephen, are you not disgusted by those that harm others? If not, what does disgust you?
More like idiotic charges labelled breach of peace
Ya but they shouldn’t be kissing in the first place!!
Why?
No point engaging. He wants a reaction. It’s like an attention seeking teenage girl….
There’s nothing wrong with a line in the sand.
There is if you draw it in the wrong sandpit
Some of the posts are so idiotic that I am compelled to comment.
Firstly I am sick and tired of these gay pride activists marching and displaying their sexual preferences nobody gives a flying f..k what you like get on with your life public displays of effection to show you are gay and to shock the public are futile and wI’ll only alienate the majority.
So to conclude nobody gives a flying f..k about your parades so all you butt plugers keep the peace and you won’t be arrested
If you dont give a f@@k then why did you bother to comment? Clearly you do give a f@@k with your pretty pathetic comment.
“Some of the posts are so idiotic….”
Thanks for adding to them.
I’m just having something to eat and had to see this! I’m having a bad night
It was a crime, a crime of passion!
Loads of comments deleted because they weren’t pro gay…. Good mediation journal, not
I had ‘pro gay’ comments removed. So no great conspiracy
have your say