Well-known British actor, playwright and writer Stephen Fry recently posted an open letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and British Prime Minister David Cameron on the Internet. In it, he criticizes the actions of the Russian government against the LGBT community (the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people). In this regard, Fry calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in February 2014 in Sochi.
Criticism of the Russian government
In his open letter, homosexual and Jewish by nationality, Stephen Fry compares Russian President Vladimir Putin to the German tyrant Adolf Hitler, and his actions towards the LGBT community to the persecution of Jews and other national minorities.
The British actor cites some facts from the history of the Reich and transfers them to the situation in modern Russia. In particular, he writes that humiliation, murder and beatings of representatives of sexual minorities in Russia are completely ignored by the police, and any attempts to speak out in defense of homosexuals are now prohibited by law.
Fry did not bypass the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in his address. The actor expressed regret that after the adoption in the Russian Federation of the law banning the promotion of homosexuality, any statement that Tchaikovsky was a homosexual, and that his life and art fully reflect his sexual orientation, could serve as a reason for arrest.
Boycott of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
In addition to the above, in the letter, Fry expresses concerns about gay athletes who will take part in the upcoming Winter Olympics. He also mentions the IOC rules, which, in his opinion, are being violated in Russia today:
- on counteraction to any acts of discrimination;
- on cooperation with public and private organizations to promote world peace;
- on supporting the interaction of sports, culture and education.
In this regard, Stephen Fry, in his letter, calls on the IOC and the entire civilized world to oppose the barbaric, in his opinion, law banning the propaganda of unconventional relations in Russia and boycott the Olympic Games in Sochi, so as not to tarnish the Olympic movement forever. He also asks the International Olympic Committee to resist the pressure of oil cowardice of diplomats, money, pragmatism and fight for the future of all mankind.
