Bălți, Moldova, November 27, 2024
Photo: simpalsmedia.com
His Eminence Archbishop Marchel of Bălți and Fălești of the Moldovan Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has again been fined by a court for so-called “homophobic statements.”
The hierarch has several similar rulings against him. In June of this year, he was ordered by a Chișinău court to pay $1,125 to two members of the LGBT community for speaking against the so-called Solidarity March in 2022. Earlier, in 2014, Abp. Marchel was ordered to pay $1,560 in fines and court costs for calling for a ban on LGBT people from working in schools, hospitals, and other institutions.
And now, the hierarch has found himself in the same situation. GenderDoc-M, a pro-LGBT organization that has targeted him several times in the past, reported on November 22 that he must pay more fines in connection with statements against the pride parade in Bălți.
He was was found liable for discrimination after he posted a YouTube video calling for protests against an LGBT+ parade in Bălți and urging authorities not to protect the participants. He had specifically called for locals to gather at a church to oppose the event and made statements that promoted hostility toward the LGBT+ community.
After LGBT+ plaintiffs argued that his messages threatened their personal safety and constituted hate speech, the court ordered him to pay $548 (10,000 lei) to each plaintiff, noting this wasn’t his first such offense, as he had previously been warned by the Council for Equality. The number of plaintiffs is not specified in the report.
The court ruled that while freedom of expression is protected, it can be limited when it threatens fundamental rights like protection from discrimination. The decision can be appealed within 30 days.
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