According to Dansk Folkeparti (DF) members Pia Adelsteen and Morten Messerschmidt, EU subsidies should not fund gay rights organisations.
Adelsteen, the DF spokesperson for EU and equality issues, said that it should be up to EU member states themselves to decide whether to use funds to support gay rights.
Messerschmidt, the party’s leading candidate at the EU parliament elections, said that EU support was problematic when there are eastern European nations where the majority of the populations are against gay marriage and adoption.
“I don’t believe that the EU should get involved in this issue,” Messerschmidt said, according to DR Nyheder. “Not by financing organisations like ILGA or anyone else.”
”It’s fine if the member states want to give money to that kind of organisation, but I don’t think that the EU should.”
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Defending human rights
According to Messerschmidt, ILGA received 7.7 million kroner in EU support last year.
The DF outburst has angered the national association for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, LGBT, which contended that ILGA work against the discrimination of the gay community was essential.
“I think this is way under the belt,” LGBT spokesperson, Søren Laursen, told DR Nyheder.
“What are the things that Messerschmidt believes are wrong? Is it that they are fighting for the freedom of expression in eastern Europe?”
Laursen went on to say that Europeans stand together in order to ensure that fundamental human rights are defended.
