Reuters





ANKARA (Reuters) - The global Red Cross and Red Crescent network said
on Monday that comments about the LGBT+ community by one of its
vice-presidents, who heads its Turkish unit, were “wrong and
offensive”.

[PHOTO: Riot police prevent LGBT rights activists from marching for a
pride parade, which was banned by the governorship, in central
Istanbul, Turkey, June 30, 2019.]

Kerem Kinik, chairman of the Red Crescent Society of Turkey and one of
five VPs at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC), made the comments on his official Twitter account on
Sunday, international Pride Day.

“We will not let you step on human dignity,” Kinik wrote.

“We will protect natality and the mental health of our children. We’ll
fight against those who violate healthy creation, who make abnormal
look normal by using their power of communication and impose their
paedophiliac dreams cloaked as modernity on young minds.”

Although homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, hostility to it is
widespread. Authorities have cracked down on LGBT+ events and marches.

The IFRC said in a statement that it condemned homophobia and hate
speech and stood in solidarity with the global LGBTIQ+ community - an
acronym standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex,
queer or questioning and other variations of non-binary gender
identity or sexual orientation.” The views expressed by Dr. Kinik do
not represent the views of the IFRC: these words are both wrong and
offensive,” it said, adding that it was assessing its next step.

“The IFRC has clear code of conduct which forbids any form of
homophobia, hate speech or prejudice, and all staff and
representatives are bound by that code, including Dr. Kinik.”

Kinik responded in another tweet, saying his approach was “fully
coherent” with the IFRC’s principles because he opposed paedophilia.

“My personal views from yesterday is to advocate for protection of our
children from any harm. I trust this is our responsibility towards
their silent scream,” Kinik wrote, in English.

Turkey’s AK Party government says it has improved rights and freedoms,
but a 2019 report on LGBT+ rights from the advocacy group ILGA Europe
ranked Turkey second to last of 49 countries.

In April, Ali Erbas, head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious
Affairs, said Islam condemned homosexuality because “it brings
illnesses and corrupts generations”.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Kevin Liffey