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WORLD NEWS Thursday 17 december 2020

Rights groups condemn Hungarian ban on same-sex adoptions

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) sex at birth," and mandates
— Human rights groups on that children be raised "in
Wednesday condemned a accordance with the val-
new Hungarian law that ef- ues based on Hungary's
fectively bans adoption for constitutional identity and
same-sex couples and ap- Christian culture."
plies a strict Christian con- This week's changes come
servative viewpoint to the on the heels of a scandal
legal definition of a family. involving Jozsef Szajer, a
The amendment, passed member of the European
by Hungary's right-wing rul- Parliament and one of the
ing coalition in parliament founding members of Fi-
on Tuesday, alters the con- desz, who resigned after
stitutional definition of fami- being caught by Brussels
lies to exclude transgender police attending an illegal
and other LGBT individuals, lockdown party in late No-
defining the basis of the vember described by its
family as "marriage and the host as a gay orgy.
parent-child relationship," Police said that Szajer, who
and declaring that "the was one of the main au-
mother is a woman and the thors of Hungary's new 2012
father is a man." constitution which limited
The changes are the latest LGBT rights, was caught
in a series of moves seen In this Saturday, July 6 2013 file photo participants walk down Andrassy Street under a giant rain- with drugs in his backpack
by critics as hostile to LGBT bow flag during the 18th Budapest Gay Pride March in Budapest, Hungary. after attempting to flee
rights by Hungary's nation- Associated Press the party. He later resigned
alist ruling party Fidesz and from Fidesz.
its hardline leader, Prime called the passage of the riage was constitutionally fectively barring same-sex In a press release on Tues-
Minister Viktor Orban, who amendment "a dark day banned in Hungary in 2012, couples or single individuals day, Budapest Pride, orga-
has long said he was build- for human rights." but civil partnerships are from doing so. nizers of Hungary's largest
ing an "illiberal" Christian Lawmakers from one op- recognized. However, the The amendment also tasks LGBT event, said the Szajer
democracy. position party boycotted new amendment declares the state with "protecting case demonstrated the hy-
David Vig, director of rights the parliamentary vote that only married couples the right of children to self- pocrisy of Fidesz's Christian
group Amnesty Hungary, in protest. Same-sex mar- may adopt children, ef- identity according to their conservatism. q

Dutch further tighten lockdown amid anger at open stores

By MIKE CORDER food to clothing, stationery
Associated Press and kitchen equipment.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands "It is a shame that previ-
(AP) — The Dutch govern- ously-made clear agree-
ment on Wednesday tight- ments that could have led
ened even further the strict to Hema contributing to
five-week coronavirus lock- the spreading of shop visits
down that went into force cannot be achieved," the
just a day earlier, amid a chain's CEO Tjeerd Jegen
backlash over some large said. "At the same time,
stores remaining open. (these times) require flexibil-
Opposition lawmakers criti- ity and tolerance. That also
cized lockdown rules that applies to us. If that means
allowed stores to remain at we have to close our doors
least partially open if some to ensure health, we will."
of the products they sell are Schools closed Wednesday
considered "essential" such and streets in Dutch towns
as food and sanitary prod- and cities were far less busy
ucts. than in previous days and
Green Left party leader weeks when local authori-
Jess Klaver tweeted that ties sometimes had to call
allowing large chains to on people not to visit over-
stay open while small local crowded shopping streets.
stores are forced to shut A man walks down the near-empty Kalverstraat pedestrian shopping street in the center of Am- In the central city of Utre-
their doors to rein in infec- sterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. cht, Michale Moelens said
tions "is the exact opposite Associated Press the government waited
of the solidarity we so badly too long to put the country
need during this lockdown." In a letter to parliament, the amounted to more than for opening stores, Hema, in lockdown.
The government moved government said that only 70% of their turnover would said in a statement it would "A lot of people get sick
swiftly to bring an end to stores where sales of essen- be allowed to remain close all its shops on Thurs- for nothing because they
an issue that threatened to tial items such as food, non- open. day. A fixture in most Dutch could (have handled) this
undermine generally wide prescription medicines, pet One of the companies towns and cities, Hema much earlier," Moelens
support for the lockdown. food and sanitary products that had faced criticism stores sell everything from said.q