Woollyhats Wrote:Normally do. Unfortunately this year I've been following on the Human Rights issues in Russia, and watched an unfortunate video that included a teenage boy being pissed on and I'm fairly sure he died or committed suicide afterwards (didn't finish it). Being openly gay is banned. They still think pedophiles and gays are the same in Russia.
Still, I'm not really sure how to 'boycott' the olympics lol?
So I'm not 'boycotting' them exactly (how would I do that anyway...?), but I have strong feelings so I'm just avoiding them. If a gay athelete wins or makes a statement I'll learn about it anyway. No point in keeping up to date with an event that's being held in a country that makes me ... uncomfortable.
Seriously though, I hope the gay athletes all win gold.
I applaud your stand. Since the Russians have been ramping up the action against their lgbt citizens over the past few years I have taken part in various campaigns including demos outside their embassy in London and outside our Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street to encourage him to engage Mr Putin directly on the issue as well as signing and distributing petitions and writing letters. The last two are things that anyone can do if they wish to raise awareness of the serious issues involved. The "no propaganda" law, introduced in June, seems to have given every homophobe the freedom to make life hell for people assumed to be gay in many parts of Russia. There have been injuries, there have been deaths, all in the name of "protecting the children" - as long as the children aren't gay I suppose.
The BBC produce a current affairs programme, called Panorama, which last evening showed reporter John Sweeney (who has previously had some memorable encounters with Scientologists and Mormons) taking up Mr Putin's invitation to reporters to come and report freely. Russia has spent vast amounts of money allegedly building the Sochi infrastructure, much of which seems to have been diverted into private pockets. People in a nearby town have been cut off because of the construction and because of the introduction of new roadblocks, there are regular power cuts to provide Sochi with the power it needs and foreign press representatives are being prevented from doing their jobs and in some cases their passports are being taken away. Locals who complain have been picked up by the authorities and beaten up by the police. One man who was sexually assaulted with an iron bar during an "interview" has suffered serious and probably permanent injuries. No one can tell me that those are the normal actions of a mature state. In the meantime the abuse of lgbt people goes on and the Olympic sponsors refuse to speak out.
You may not feel you can do much, but you can let the sponsors know how you are feeling by contacting them directly and by boycotting their products as much as possible. This in itself is a challenge, because many of the multi-national main "partners" and sponsors of the Olympics have complicated structures where they own and are owned by other corporations. One can only do one's best I suppose. This whole debacle is a travesty and an affront to human dignity. Shame on Putin and the grip he and the homophobic orthodox superstition have on Russia and shame on those who are complicit or turn the other way while people are suffering real hardship.
The system on here won't let me post links or images so I cannot give you more useful information. Sorry, you'll have to look them up for yourself if you are interested.
Here's the propaganda ... w w w.olympic.org/sponsors
Here is a comment by a Russian activist freed from prison in Putin's "amnesty" ... w w w.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/23/pussy-riot-member-freed-from-prison-slams-russian-amnesty-law-as-a-pr-stunt/
Here's a report on this kind of propaganda with links to John Sweeney's report if you can access it in your country ... w w w.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25909656
Many countries around the world, including my own, have questions to answer on human rights issues. Russia is playing the game at a different level entirely at present. It is preparing the ground for war on its own people. Some observers are comparing the path that Putin's Russia is taking with that of Hitler's Germany. Its lgbt citizens are being demonised, dehumanised and victimised in the same way. It is a distraction at our expense while Putin tightens his grip on power.
I am pretty certain we have Russian members on here. Thankfully some of them will not have experienced violence, but I think that time is coming if the Russian leadership continues in the same direction.
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