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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 17 Maart 2022

Disney workers plan walkout to protest ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

As the state’s largest private- standing relationships with
Statements by Disney leader- sector employer — Walt those lawmakers,” Chapek
ship over the Florida legisla- Disney World outside Or- told Disney shareholders a
tion “have utterly failed to lando had more than 75,000 few days later.
match the magnitude of the workers before the coronavi-
threat to LGBTQIA+ safety rus pandemic — Disney has With his public responses
represented by this legisla- contributed huge amounts being panned by some Dis-
tion,” the group said. of money to Florida’s politi- ney workers and supporters,
cal parties and politicians and Chapek last Friday apolo-
The bill bars instruction on has wielded incredible influ- gized and said the company
“sexual orientation or gen- ence on the state’s govern- was pausing all political do-
der identity” in kindergarten ment. nations in Florida.
through grade 3. Republi-
can lawmakers pushing the At the beginning of last week, “I truly believe we are an in-
legislation had argued that Chapek sent a message to finitely better and stronger
parents, not teachers, should Disney workers affirming the company because of our LG-
be the ones talking to their company’s support for LG- BTQ+ community,” Chapek
(AP) — Disney workers are ers at Disney worksites in children about gender issues BTQ rights but also saying said in a message to Disney
planning walkouts during California, Florida and else- during their early formative that corporate statements of- workers. “I missed the mark
their breaks every day this where, the group of Disney years. The legislation has at- ten don’t do much to change in this case but am an ally you
week to protest CEO Bob employees said this week on tracted scrutiny from Presi- minds and can be “weapon- can count on — and I will be
Chapek’s slow response in their website. dent Joe Biden, who called ized” by either side. an outspoken champion for
publicly criticizing Florida it “hateful,” as well as other the protections, visibility, and
legislation that critics have Organizers asked Disney Democrats who argue it de- Rather than make an early opportunity you deserve.”
dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” workers to check in online monizes LGBTQ people. public statement against the
bill. with their plans to participate legislation, company officials Disney on Wednesday didn’t
in the full-scale walkout for The legislation has been sent had been working behind the respond to an email inquiry
The act of protest will cul- next week. “We must make to Republican Florida Gov. scenes with Florida lawmak- about whether the walkouts
minate next Tuesday with a sure we have large enough Ron DeSantis, who is expect- ers “to achieve a better out- during breaks were having
general walkout by LGBTQ numbers to be successful,” ed to sign it. come,” but they hadn’t been any impact on operations this
workers and their support- they said. successful, despite “our long- week.

Chinese operative accused in plot to undermine US candidate

(AP) — Five men accused on pro-democracy activists, ernment operative sought MSS even if ostensibly re- would not describe any con-
of acting on behalf of the sought to illegally obtain and to undermine the candidacy tired.” versations that officials may
Chinese government have disseminate the federal tax of a congressional candidate have had with Yan, but said
been charged with brazen returns of a dissident and by plotting to locate, or even The candidate is described that the Justice Department
and wide-ranging schemes also plotted to destroy the manufacture, derogatory in- in court papers as a Chinese takes seriously its obligations
to stalk and harass Chi- artwork of a dissident artist, formation. dissident and student leader to warn victims of potential
nese dissidents living in prosecutors said. A sculpture of the Tiananmen Square threats and to avert violence.
the United States, includ- depicting Chinese President The operative, identified as protests in 1989. Though the
ing by seeking to derail Xi Jinping as a coronavirus Qiming Lin, is accused of candidate is not identified by Yan, who has lived in the
the election bid of a little- molecule was demolished last having contacted a private name in the complaint, the U.S. for 30 years, said in an
known congressional can- year, though no one has been investigator seeking infor- biographical details in the interview with The Associat-
didate, the Justice Depart- charged in that, according to mation about the candidate’s document match those of ed Press that he did not know
ment said Wednesday. the Justice Department. phone number, address and Yan Xiong, who announced any details about the allega-
vehicle. He later asked the his candidacy as a Democrat tions and learned about them
The cases underscored what Two of the three men in that investigator to “dig up things for a congressional seat in after reporters reached out to
American officials described case, Fan “Frank” Liu and from 1989 to now” in search New York City in this year’s him Wednesday. He said he
as increasingly aggressive ef- Matthew Ziburis, were ar- of flaws against the candidate election. had not witnessed any harass-
forts by the Chinese govern- rested Tuesday on charges to hurt his candidacy. ment or intimidation and had
ment — sometimes involv- that include conspiring to Lin remains at large, officials not been contacted by the
ing the use of hired private commit interstate harassment At one point, according to said. He faces charges that in- FBI or Justice Department,
investigators — to seek out, and criminal use of a means charging documents, Lin clude conspiracy to commit and that he did not know
silence and threaten pro-de- of identification. They were told the investigator that, in interstate harassment. why the Chinese govern-
mocracy activists abroad. due in court later Wednesday. the end, “violence would be ment would be interested in
A third man, Qiang “Jason” fine too” and suggested that The top federal prosecutor his campaign for Congress.
The criminal cases, filed in Sun, who prosecutors say he could be beaten “until he in Brooklyn, Breon Peace,
federal court in Brooklyn, al- tasked the others, remains at cannot run for election.”
lege months-long efforts to large.
embarrass dissidents and sti- The investigator Lin is ac-
fle their speech. The Justice In another plot that U.S. of- cused of contacting was actu-
Department in 2020 charged ficials say was orchestrated ally a source for the FBI, who
eight people with working on by China’s Ministry of State reported the initial outreach
behalf of the Chinese govern- Security, an author who once to agents and said he believed
ment in a pressure campaign helped start a pro-democracy Lin to be a retired agent of
aimed at coercing a New organization gathered intel- China’s Ministry of State Se-
Jersey man who was wanted ligence on dissidents and curity.
by Beijing into returning to activists, Uyghurs, Tibet-
China to face charges. ans and advocates for Hong In an affidavit, an FBI agent
Kong’s independence. The conducting the investigation
In one of the new cases, two man, Shujun Wang, 73, was wrote that, “Based on the
New York men operating arrested Wednesday. conduct summarized herein
under the direction of an and my experience and train-
employee of a China-based A third scheme by a man ing, I assess that LIN contin-
technology company spied described as a Chinese gov- ued to act on behalf of the