On 30 June 2018, Wajahat Abbas Kazmi marched in the Milan Pride Parade with his “Il Grande Colibrì” association. His presence with the Allah Loves Equality sign is testimony to his being a gay Muslim man.
When pictures were shared online, Kazmi became the object of numerous hateful messages and death threats in various languages.
Il Grande Colibrì fully supports Kazmi as a member and cofounder of the association. We immediately took the steps necessary to report these episodes of hate speech and threats to the authorities. We also contacted “Rete Lenford” (an association of lawyers and law interns that aim to foster a culture of respect for LGBTI people) to take legal action against those who have slandered, defamed and threatened our activist.
In light of these events, we must reiterate that Wajahat is not alone. He is part of a wider group of people who believe in his message. Indeed, Il Grande Colibrì fights against all forms of discrimination and we will not sit by and accept homophobic and Islamophobic threats and abuse, especially when launched against one of our members.
As we write this communiqué, the situation continues to evolve. Threats continue to arrive, and we are in contact with both the police and our lawyers. As soon as we have further information, we will communicate via our official channels, our website and Facebook page.
We would like to thank all the individuals and associations that are offering support and solidarity. We especially thank Amnesty International Italia (which Kazmi also belongs to) for their support and solidarity, as expressed directly by President Antonio Marchesi and spokesperson Riccardo Noury.
We invite you all to send us any examples of hate speech against Wajahat and Allah Loves Equality you may find, so that we can take appropriate legal action against the authors.
Il Grande Colibrì
translation by: Peter Luntz
picture: Il Grande Colibrì
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