Jean wrote to His Excellency Ambassador Rzegocki to express her regret and shame out the outbreaks of violence and hate-speech we have seen recently against the Polish community in the UK. Jean condemns unreservedly the rise in violence and hostility towards Polish and other communities which has been witnessed since the EU referendum vote and she offers her full support.

Read the full letter below.

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Your Excellency

Re: Violence towards the Polish community in the UK

I am writing to express my regret and shame at the outbreaks of violence and hate-speech we have seen recently against the Polish community in the UK. I condemn unreservedly the rise in violence and hostility towards Polish and other communities we have witnessed since the EU referendum vote and offer you my full support.

London and the UK as a whole is richer – economically, socially and culturally – thanks to the people from other nations who make their home here. The Polish community has a long and proud history of contributing to and benefiting this country.

In my time as Green Party MEP for London, I have worked with communities from all over Europe and beyond and always supported and promoted the interconnectedness and vibrancy other nations bring to London. I have, in the past worked with EU nationals in London, including representatives of the Polish community and organised events to help ensure those here know their rights.

Since the extremely disappointing EU Referendum vote I have repeatedly called on the Government to do more to condemn intolerance and to reassure people that their rights will be protected. People’s lives must not be used as political bargaining chips. The Government needs to send a clear message that people will continue to be welcome and their rights will be unchanged.

I am currently organising a seminar to look at the future of freedom of movement in the UK and how EU nationals currently in the UK and those looking to come in the future may be impacted. I will ensure your office receives an invitation to this event which will take place towards the end of November.

In the meantime I wish to assure you of my ongoing support to secure the rights of EU nationals in any post-referendum negotiations and join you in condemning any violence towards the Polish and other communities.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert
Green MEP for London

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Rejecting claims by a registrar and a therapist that their rights had been violated after they were sacked for refusing to work with same-sex couples, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg said the British courts had struck the right balance in earlier rulings that personal religious beliefs were insufficient grounds to discriminate against LGBT people.

Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and a member of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee, welcomed the ruling.

She said: “Laws designed to protect LGBT people from discrimination must trump individual beliefs: if such laws can be ignored because someone believes such discrimination is morally right they are simply not going to be effective.

“We’ve come a long way, as a society, in protecting the rights of same-sex couples from discrimination – and this ruling makes clear that recent progress in anti-discrimination law is wholly compatible with international human rights conventions we have signed up to here in the UK.

“But there is still a long way to go of course: LGBT communities still face persecution and significant levels of hate crime and it remains unlawful for same-sex couples to marry in the UK: I hope today’s ruling forces the Government to act swiftly to end all discrimination against the LGBT community here in the UK.”

ENDS

Notes: The details of today’s ruling can be found at:

http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/press-releases/landmark-strasbourg-ruling-religious-beliefs-not-a-valid-reason-to-oppose-rights-of-same-sex-couples/

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The bill, which will now be sent to the country’s lower house for ratification before being approved by President Goodluck Jonathan, also seeks to tighten existing laws against homosexuality by making gay and lesbian public displays of affection a jailable offence and banning gay right groups.

Jean, a Member of the European Parliament’s cross-party Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights, said today:

“I am shocked and deeply alarmed by the Nigerian Senate’s approval of this bill, which will effectively ban gay marriage in Africa’s most populous nation.  A 2008 survey carried out by Nigeria’s Information for Sexual and Reproductive Rights found that only 1.4 per cent of Nigerians feel ‘tolerant’ towards the gay community.  If approved, the law will only further institutionalise this mindset – a truly worrying development.

“The proposed bill goes against the most fundamental principles of human rights and democracy.  It is indefensible to curtail people’s rights on the grounds of who they are.  As a member of the international community, it is the duty of the Nigerian government to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation and without exception. I will now write, without delay, to the Nigerian High Commission to raise my concerns with regards to this barbaric law.”

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The Shadow Directive aims to extend protection against such discrimination to areas outside employment such as social protection, social benefits, education, provisions of goods and services and housing.

Jean, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights which has launched the Directive in cooperation with ILGA Europe (the Europe Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, has continued in her call for equal  rights and treatment for all.

As Green MEP for London which is home to a diverse population, Jean commented;”Across the EU some minority groups are more protected than others.  In general gender and race discrimination are being eliminated from society but rights of protection over sexual orientation have, until now, been lacking.

“Sexual orientation discrimination across the EU is currently prohibited in employment but gender and race discrimination is banned not only in employment but in other areas of everyday life as well. With 2007 being the European Year of Equal Opportunities we have before us the chance to change this and the Shadow Directive is making extremely positive steps to do so.

“We now need to work with similar proposals from AGE and the European Disability Forum (EDF) to ensure equal treatment for all.”

ENDS

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Speaking at AGE UK’s general meeting, which attracted some of the most significant organisations defending older people’s rights including Help the Aged, National Pensioners Convention and Age Concern, Jean Lambert, who is Co-President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Ageing, said that it was vital to have laws in place, formed through consultations with older people, to outlaw ageism completley.

Jean commented;  “New EU legislations coming into force in the near future are making a start on these desperately needed changes.  Following on from the 2000 directive on age discrimination in employment, the European Parliament were recently presented with a new directive outlawing age discrimination in goods and services.  A law banning unjustified ageism in key areas such as health care, financial services and education is a welcome step forward that I urge the European Commission to take seriously and act upon.

“Today’s society seems to be designed to benefit the youth without any support or need for the knowledge and skills of the more experienced, mature person.  Everyone is entitled to fair treatment and equal rights regardless of their age and serious moves to secure this are long overdue.”

As Green MEP for London Jean Lambert recently welcomed a group of Hackney Age Concern pensioners and supporters to the European Parliament in Brussels to ensure they would get their voice heard.

ENDS

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The strategy aims to challenge the discrimination and negative perceptions of older people and to empower London’s diverse groups of older people to fully make use of the opportunities offered by the city.

Entelechy Arts, a theatre group of older Londoners, based in Southwark, performed a short play ‘City tales’ at the launch, challenging such negative perceptions. Speaking after the event Jean, who is co President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Ageing, said; “The play we saw this evening really highlighted and brought to life a number of issues facing older women across London and the rest of Europe today.  The performance was well received by the Parliament and evoked interest from a number of EU Member States.

“Everyone is entitled to fair treatment and equal rights regardless of their age yet older women are all too often discriminated against.  Many older women care for their grandchildren and other relatives on a daily basis as well as campaigning for fair treatment and they should receive recognition for this.

“The launch of the Mayor of London’s Older Peoples Strategy brings together the EU’s Week of Regions and we now look forward to the launch of the EU Commissions report on demographic change.”

ENDS

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Following on from the 2000 directive on age discrimination in employment, the proposed directive, drawn up for AGE (the EU umbrella organisation for older peoples groups) and backed by Age Concern England, would outlaw all types of unjustified ageism in key areas such as health care, financial services and education.

Jean Lambert, who is the Co-President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Ageing and a member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs said the proposal was a step in the right direction to end ongoing discrimination. Jean commented that the European Commission should take it seriously and act on it; “Everyone is entitled to fair treatment and equal rights regardless of their age and this directive will make the vital moves we need to secure that.  We have had laws in place guarding against discrimination through race and gender and a directive combating ageism is long over due.

“I welcome the proposal as a start to the debate and am delighted to introduce Hackney Age Concern to the European Parliament. Their input to the discussion highlighted the need for action. I now look forward to working with them and other Age NGOs to outlaw Ageism completely.”

ENDS

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