Church, LGBTQ advocates square off
Four Namibians advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) Namibians were briefly arrested on Friday after disrupting a demonstration by about 200 people against the Supreme Court's decision to recognise the foreign same-sex spouses of Namibians.
The arrests took place while the church protestors were handing over a petition to National Assembly secretary, Lydia Kandetu.
Among those arrested were Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe, a prominent voice in the intersectional #ShutItAllDown and pro-choice movements in Namibia, as well as Shonena Nathanael, a queer activist, and two others.
Speaking up
Yesterday, Nathanael said the posters displayed by the anti-gay demonstrators contained hate speech, contradicting the police's assertion that the protest was peaceful.
He said the group’s actions were intended to show that Namibia is not a homophobic country.
"There are a few people in Namibia who want to impose their beliefs on others.
"We are not afraid as a community because we have gone through hatred and shame. I am not afraid. The only thing they (the coalition) are trying to do is silence us," he told Namibian Sun.
He added that the LGBTQIA+ community will invade the space of Christians as they have invaded the space of the community.
"We will not do it by threatening them but by existing where they exist," he said.
Police action
On Saturday, police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi said the arrests took place after the group reportedly interrupted the gathering and a scuffle occurred.
The four were taken to the police station, "where they were warned against interfering and disrupting the process," and released.
"Today’s incident in Windhoek involving the arrest of the four people was therefore to prevent the commission of an offence and, moreover, to protect them because of the scuffle and from the demonstrators who did not welcome their presence and interrupted their platform," Shikwambi said late on Saturday.
Morals
The anti-gay protesters were led by the Christian Coalition of Churches of Namibia chairperson, Shirley Magazi.
According to Magazi, the anti-gay movement managed to bag 25 000 signatures for their petition in less than two weeks.
"The Supreme Court has, by virtue of this judgement, taken over the role of the legislature entrusted to make laws and undermined the doctrine of separation of powers that undermines our constitutional democracy," the petition, read by Magazi, noted.
"As a coalition representing thousands of Namibians, we do not support the recognition of same-sex marriages in Namibia... our moral values and convictions should have found expression in the judgment," Magazi said.
"We further advocate for the enactment of an Act of parliament that explicitly prohibits the practices of homosexuality (this includes same-sex marriages) in Namibia. We wish to reiterate the availability and readiness of the coalition to support your office with research-backed and evidence-based submissions and input to the draft law," the group added.
The arrests took place while the church protestors were handing over a petition to National Assembly secretary, Lydia Kandetu.
Among those arrested were Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe, a prominent voice in the intersectional #ShutItAllDown and pro-choice movements in Namibia, as well as Shonena Nathanael, a queer activist, and two others.
Speaking up
Yesterday, Nathanael said the posters displayed by the anti-gay demonstrators contained hate speech, contradicting the police's assertion that the protest was peaceful.
He said the group’s actions were intended to show that Namibia is not a homophobic country.
"There are a few people in Namibia who want to impose their beliefs on others.
"We are not afraid as a community because we have gone through hatred and shame. I am not afraid. The only thing they (the coalition) are trying to do is silence us," he told Namibian Sun.
He added that the LGBTQIA+ community will invade the space of Christians as they have invaded the space of the community.
"We will not do it by threatening them but by existing where they exist," he said.
Police action
On Saturday, police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi said the arrests took place after the group reportedly interrupted the gathering and a scuffle occurred.
The four were taken to the police station, "where they were warned against interfering and disrupting the process," and released.
"Today’s incident in Windhoek involving the arrest of the four people was therefore to prevent the commission of an offence and, moreover, to protect them because of the scuffle and from the demonstrators who did not welcome their presence and interrupted their platform," Shikwambi said late on Saturday.
Morals
The anti-gay protesters were led by the Christian Coalition of Churches of Namibia chairperson, Shirley Magazi.
According to Magazi, the anti-gay movement managed to bag 25 000 signatures for their petition in less than two weeks.
"The Supreme Court has, by virtue of this judgement, taken over the role of the legislature entrusted to make laws and undermined the doctrine of separation of powers that undermines our constitutional democracy," the petition, read by Magazi, noted.
"As a coalition representing thousands of Namibians, we do not support the recognition of same-sex marriages in Namibia... our moral values and convictions should have found expression in the judgment," Magazi said.
"We further advocate for the enactment of an Act of parliament that explicitly prohibits the practices of homosexuality (this includes same-sex marriages) in Namibia. We wish to reiterate the availability and readiness of the coalition to support your office with research-backed and evidence-based submissions and input to the draft law," the group added.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article