Croatian referendum bans same sex marriage

[Syt]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/croatia-bans-gay-marriage-victory-catholic-backed-conservatives-article-1.1534210

Croatia bans gay marriage in victory for Catholic-backed conservatives

Voters approved referendum defining marriage as union between a 'man and a woman.' The lopsided decision was a blow for advocates for same-sex unions.

ZAGREB, Croatia — A majority of Croatians voted in a referendum Sunday to ban gay marriages in what is a major victory for the Catholic Church-backed conservatives in the European Union's newest nation.

The state electoral commission, citing near complete results, said 65 percent of those who voted answered "yes" to the referendum question: "Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?" About 34 percent voted against.

The result meant that Croatia's constitution will be amended to ban same-sex marriage.

The vote has deeply divided Croatia. Liberal groups have said the referendum's question infringes on basic human rights. The Church-backed groups have gathered 750,000 signatures in its support.

Referendum results signal that right-wing and conservative forces have been gaining strength in Croatia amid the deepening economic crisis and widespread joblessness.

The country of 4.4 million, which became EU's 28th member in July, has taken steps to improve gay rights, but issues such as same-sex marriage remain highly sensitive in the staunchly Catholic nation.

The referendum was called by the "In the Name of the Family" conservative group after Croatia's center-left government drafted a law to let gay couples register as "life partners."

The Catholic Church leaders have urged their followers to vote "yes" in the referendum. Nearly 90 percent of Croatians are Roman Catholics.

"Marriage is the only union enabling procreation," Croatian Cardinal Josip Bozanic said in his message to the followers. "This is the key difference between a marriage and other unions."

Croatia's liberal president, Ivo Josipovic, said he voted against amending the constitution. Josipovic said the referendum result must be respected, but added the government is preparing a law to allow some rights to gays and lesbians living together.

"The referendum result must not be the reason for new divisions," Josipovic said. "We have serious economic and social problems. It's not worth it to focus on such issues."

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said earlier "this is the last referendum that gives a chance to the majority to strip a minority of its rights."

Conservatives have also started gathering signatures for another referendum, demanding a ban of the Cyrillic alphabet in Croatia. The Cyrillic is used in neighboring Serbia and by minority Serbs in Croatia. The nationalists blame the Serbs for atrocities committed by their troops during Croatia's 1991-95 war for independence from the Serb-led Yugoslavia.

The EU hasn't officially commented on the referendum, but has clashed with Croatia over some of its other laws, including an extradition law that has prevented its citizens from being handed over to the bloc's other member states, which Croatia had to amend under pressure from Brussels.

Several hundred gay rights supporters marched in the capital, Zagreb, on Saturday urging a "no" vote.

"I will vote against because I think that the referendum is not a festival of democracy, but a festival of oppression against a minority, which fights for its rights and which does not have its rights," Jura Matulic, a university student, said.

I'm glad we let all these enlightened people into the EU.

Also: "Marriage is the only union enabling procreation" - so, unmarried people can't have kids? Wow.

[Duque de Bragança]

More about Croats

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Panorama/2013-11-25/34821/_Croats_in_France_insist_in_a_court_case_with_Bob_Dylan

Croats in France insist in a court case with Bob Dylan

Croatian Times

Rock star Bob Dylan will go to court in Paris over inciting racism, a group of Croat immigrants in France confirms after reporting the star to the court.

"The court in Paris has accepted the case and we still wait for the date of the trial to be confirmed. We still don't know whether Bob Dylan will appear in person or will send a lawyer to represent him," Vlatko Maric, the representative of Council of Croatian Community in France has revealed to daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.

Bob Dylan has been reported for inciting racism after he gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which he put Croatians in the same category as the Nazis and the Klu Klux Klan.

Representatives from of the Council of Croats in France, the CRICCF, said that the comments had been an insult to Croats the world over and Bob Dylan had been reported to French officials with a view to him being charged with racism.

The publisher of the French edition of the Rolling Stone magazine that carried the interview from the English version has also been reported.

"He was without any doubt inciting hatred against Croatians", Vlatko Maric revealed.

The American legend caused controversy after telling Rolling Stone magazine: "Black people can sense Klan blood, Jews can sense Nazi blood and Serbs can sense Croat blood" in an interview about the roots of racism.

Soon after that Croatian Radio Split banned his songs from their play list.

I read the interview and he should have used Ustasha instead of Croats. Kind of a tempest in a teapot though.

PS: it's actually a translated interview from 2012 about the US 

"This country is too f**ked up about color. It's a distraction. People at each others' throats just because they are of a different color. It's the height of insanity and it will hold any nation back – or any neighborhood back. Or anything back. Blacks know that some whites didn't want to give up slavery – that is they had their way, they would still be under the yoke, and they can't pretend they don't know that. If you've got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood.

Emphasis mine

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-unleashed-a-wild-ride-on-his-new-lp-and-striking-back-at-critics-20120927?page=3

All of that for an ACW hijack...

[Legbiter]

Well it trolls Marty so it's not all bad.

[Warspite]

This, my friends, is why referendums are a fucking stupid idea.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go start a petition in Croatia to constitutionally define European Union as between a civilised state and another civilised state...

[alfred russel]

Referendum results signal that right-wing and conservative forces have been gaining strength in Croatia amid the deepening economic crisis and widespread joblessness.

I somehow doubt it. The vote is a sign of weakness, not strength. The "no" vote is 17% away from a majority. I doubt that has been the case in Croatia's past, and I bet the strong trend is to the "no" camp.

[Warspite]

Referendum results signal that right-wing and conservative forces have been gaining strength in Croatia amid the deepening economic crisis and widespread joblessness.

I somehow doubt it. The vote is a sign of weakness, not strength. The "no" vote is 17% away from a majority. I doubt that has been the case in Croatia's past, and I bet the strong trend is to the "no" camp.

Croatia has an ageing population and every young Croat with a modicum of talent gets out while they can: Dalmatians and Slavonians go to Zagreb, and then everyone goes to Austria, Germany, Sweden and the US. What this tends to leave behind is the conservative core of Croatia.

[Valmy]

Property in King's Landing must be pretty cheap then eh? 

[Barrister]

Property in King's Landing must be pretty cheap then eh? 

I was at a pre-trial where the judge was rather ostentatiously talking about having purchased vacation property in Dalmatia.  They don't actually pay judges that much, so, yeah.

[The Brain]

I think sex marriage sounds so coarse.

[Eddie Teach]

I think sex marriage sounds so coarse.

Beats no sex marriage.

[Sheilbh]

Property in King's Landing must be pretty cheap then eh? 

I doubt it. The old town's ridiculous and the Swedes and Germans have been holidaying there for decades. Apparently the last bit of really cheap, beautiful Balkan coastline is northern Albania.