Tag: banning

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Coalition mulls possibly banning May 9 events in Latvia

Coalition mulls possibly banning May 9 events in Latvia

Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said in an interview on TV3 this week that the decision to ban the so-called Victory Day celebrations should be taken at the national level. The following discussions and the need for a possible centralized regulation were also highlighted by Ritvars Jansons, representative of the National Alliance:

“It is logical that flowers can be laid [by the monument] on May 8, 9, 10, 11, but this must be distinguished from supporting the empire, supporting the war in Ukraine, and ultimately linking the May 9 with the second occupation of Latvia carried out by the USSR regime.”

Changes to a law banning the organization of events on May 9 could be legally difficult to design, said Krišjānis Feldmans, representative of the Conservatives party.

“The problem is the legal wording [..] because simply banning any events on May 9 would not be the most sensible solution, as Europe Day is also celebrated at this time. If such wording could be found, I think there will be no problem in the Saeima to adopt a law. We know that this Saeima is able to react very quickly, including the adoption of laws within one day,” Feldmans said.

Events celebrating or praising the war or Russia as the aggressor should not be allowed, but they can be carried out in accordance with the existing framework – with the careful work of local governments and law enforcement, said deputy head of the Saeima faction of Development/For! Vita Anda Tērauda.

“Even if events are not allowed, different individual manifestations will be seen. I see no reason to ban the expression of individual action and opinion, while at the same time it should be possible to prohibit the use of unauthorized symbols or the glorification of war. Freedom of assembly and expression must also be protected in times of war, but the borders what can and cannot be done should be adapted to the situation. And I think we already have all the tools to make it in line with this situation,” said Tērauda.

State Police are preparing for a variety of scenarios in connection with the May 9 events. The Chief of Police Armands Ruks has stated that this year going to the event would be seen as supporting Russia in war.

The Coalition could decide on a possible additional framework for preventing the events of May 9 at a meeting in the coming weeks.

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Olympics-IOC recommends banning Russian, Belarusian athletes from international events

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board has recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competing in events, it said on Monday, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC said it made the decision “in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants.”

The IOC also urged federations to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus would be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus.

“Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colors, flags or anthems should be displayed,” the statement added.

The IOC also said it had taken the ad hoc decision to withdraw the Olympic Order from all persons who currently have an important function in the government of the Russian Federation, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It said it made the decision based on “the exceptional circumstances of the situation and considering the extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past.” (Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet and Christian Radnedge)

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French bill banning hijabs in sports events moves to National Assembly

PARIS — A draft bill that would ban the wearing of the hijab in sporting competitions will pass on to France’s National Assembly after the Senate on Wednesday declined to vote on the legislation.

The broader bill is devoted to “democratizing sport,” including how the big sporting federations are governed. But it includes a clause, previously attached as an amendment by the conservative-dominated upper house, stipulating that the wearing “of conspicuous religious symbols is prohibited” in events and competitions organized by sports federations.

The move is, however, opposed by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government and its allies who command a majority in the National Assembly, which has the final vote.

The place of religion and religious symbols worn in public is a long-running matter of controversy in France, a staunchly secular country and home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority.

Identity and Islam’s place in French society are hot-button issues ahead of April’s presidential election, with two far-right candidates whose nationalist programs question Islam’s compatibility with the Republic’s values polling nearly 35% of voter support between them.

Elsewhere, divisions over the hijab – the traditional covering of the hair and neck worn by Muslim women – have fanned protests in the Indian state of Karnataka after authorities there banned the garment in school classrooms.

Macron’s government had been swift to denounce the amendment. Given the majority wielded by his party and its allies in the lower house, the amendment is likely to be removed from the broader bill.

“Our enemy is radical Islamism, not Islam,” Marlene Schiappa, junior minister for citizenship, said on Tuesday.

France will host the Summer Olympics in 2024 and critics of the legislation have questioned how it would affect protocol at the Games, whose participants will include conservative Muslim countries, if it were adopted.

Right-wing Senator Stéphane Piednoir said the Olympic Charter provided for political and religious neutrality.

“We cannot compromise secularism and France cannot undercut the Olympic movement,” Piednoir told the upper house.

He said the bill was designed to allow “all women to participate in sports competitions without any differentiation, without any sign of discrimination, without any symbol linked to the veil which we know is a political tool.”

The Olympics charter states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Richard Lough, editing by Tassilo Hummel)

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France’s bill banning hijabs in sports events moves to National Assembly

France's bill banning hijabs in sports events moves to National Assembly

PARIS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – A draft bill that would ban the wearing of the hijab in sporting competitions will pass on to France’s National Assembly after the Senate on Wednesday declined to vote on the legislation.

The bill includes a clause, previously added as an amendment by the conservative-dominated upper house, which stipulates that the wearing “of conspicuous religious symbols is prohibited” in events and competitions organised by sports federations.

The move is, however, opposed by the government and its allies in the lower house. The National Assembly has the final vote.

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Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Richard Lough, editing by Tassilo Hummel

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