News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
25
o
Keserwan
28
o
Metn
28
o
Mount Lebanon
27
o
North
30
o
South
28
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
Morning News
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
25
o
Keserwan
28
o
Metn
28
o
Mount Lebanon
27
o
North
30
o
South
28
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Series
Movies
Documentaries
Variety
Comedy
Talk Show
News Bulletin
Sports
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Surge in anti-LGBTQ disinformation targets Pride in Europe
World News
23-06-2023 | 06:02
High views
Share
Share
6
min
Surge in anti-LGBTQ disinformation targets Pride in Europe
As Pride events got underway in Europe in June, disinformation and hate speech targeting the LGBTQ community spread across social media, triggering extreme online responses, including incitements to violence.
Advocacy groups across Europe said the deluge of toxic content online is part of an overall trend of rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment worldwide. But the community is coming under particular pressure during public events -- including those associated with Pride, they noted.
The surge in online disinformation and vitriol is all the more worrying after a spate of violence during Pride events last summer in Europe.
One social media post in Polish falsely stating that the army would create "LGBT units" was shared across Telegram, Twitter and Facebook in Serbia.
That prompted some users to comment that the new soldiers should be "burned at the stake", while others praised Hitler's persecution of gay men.
Another false claim, that the Arc de Triomphe in Paris had been turned into a rainbow art installation, went viral in multiple European languages. Facebook users responded with slurs -- one person calling for LGBTQ people to be burned and executed.
In Hungary, where government and pro-government media personalities often use anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, Pride celebrations were referred to online using derogatory, homophobic slurs.
Online, some posts smeared the LGBTQ community with claims of child abuse.
Claims that the community was a danger to society were also widespread.
Posts in Finnish and Croatian either missed or deliberately ignored the satirical nature of a book for adults by a Canadian comedian, Brad Gosse, falsely claiming it was "promoting sex to children" as part of a trans-rights campaign.
"If you think these are actually kids' books, you shouldn't be allowed to vote," he quipped on Twitter.
The wave of false claims and hate speech is part of an increasingly violent public discourse against LGBTQ people, say campaigners.
Some European countries -- such as Spain, Slovenia and Moldova -- have adopted new legislation protecting LGBTQ rights.
But a recent report by the Brussels-based ILGA-Europe (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) found that "the public discourse is becoming more polarised and violent, particularly against trans people".
A May 2023 European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) report said anti-LGBTQ misinformation and disinformation was particularly prolific and "often incites hate against minorities, laws and institutions".
- 'The same tune'-
While some anti-LGBTQ false claims shared on social media in Europe in June first appeared in the United States, others originated in Russia.
AFP fact-checkers found that the video claiming to show Polish public television reporting that the country's army would open "LGBT units" was first shared on Russian propaganda channels in January.
"Russia and the US far-right are playing the same tune," Jakob Svensson, a professor of media and communication science at Malmo University, told AFP.
Svensson's research highlights a synergy between global actors framing progressive laws or the simple visibility of the LGBTQ community as an attack on "traditional values".
Such disinformation campaigns feed into European narratives: false claims about trans athletes filtered from social media in the US to Europe in 2023, where a far-right politician spread them further.
Researchers and campaigners say a lack of sufficient moderation on social media platforms exacerbates the problem.
Aleksandra Gavrilovic -- program coordinator for the Serbian NGO for lesbian human rights Labris -- fears young people are particularly exposed to "content that is neither verified nor accurate".
The lack of consequences for those spreading false claims and hate speech "can also embolden anti-LGBTQ activists and bashers who feel impunity to attack", Svensson added.
- 'Hate campaigners and troll farms' -
The spike in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric around Pride events in Europe is part of a global trend.
Some US Pride celebrations have been scaled back this year, organizers told AFP, especially in states where politicians want to curtail rights, as false claims linking the community to paedophilia and Satanism have amassed across social media platforms.
The surge in disinformation and hate speech around Pride comes as campaigners highlight how physical attacks against LGBTQ people are rising generally in Europe.
ILGA-Europe said Europe and Central Asia had seen the "deadliest rise" in attacks in a decade in 2022 when it announced its annual review, a compilation of incident reports from 54 countries.
Oslo's yearly Pride parade was cancelled last year following a fatal shooting at LGBTQ venues. Bratislava was rocked by a similar attack in front of an LGBTQ bar.
Milos Kovacevic -- legal empowerment coordinator for Serbia-based NGO Da Se Zna! -- told AFP how physical attacks had surged alongside anti-LGBTQ claims online around EuroPride in Belgrade last September.
"Half of the incidents we registered in 2022 happened in August and September," he said.
The leap from online slurs to real-life danger is at the forefront of campaigners' minds.
Remy Bonny -- executive director of EU-wide LGBTQ advocacy group Forbidden Colors -- told AFP how he was targeted online by "hate campaigners and troll farms" earlier this year for trying to convince EU members to join a lawsuit against anti-LGBTQ laws in Hungary.
The director of Hungary's government-backed Center for Fundamental Rights tweeted that Bonny would not be allowed "near Hungarian children".
AFP found dozens of tweets in English from Twitter accounts with Hungarian usernames calling Bonny and LGBTQ people sexual predators.
"Everybody knows how dangerous it can be to publicly call someone a 'groomer' or 'pedophile' without any evidence," Bonny told AFP.
"This jeopardizes my personal security."
AFP
World News
Surge
Anti-LGBTQ
Disinformation
Targets
Pride
Europe
Next
Trump says he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE as early as May
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
World News
00:30
US aware of reported death of American after beating by Israeli settlers
World News
00:30
US aware of reported death of American after beating by Israeli settlers
0
World News
00:24
US Justice fires nine more employees from Jack Smith's team, sources say
World News
00:24
US Justice fires nine more employees from Jack Smith's team, sources say
0
World News
11:46
State Department starts firing more than 1,350 workers in Trump's shake-up of diplomatic corps
World News
11:46
State Department starts firing more than 1,350 workers in Trump's shake-up of diplomatic corps
0
World News
11:11
Russia's FM Lavrov arrives in North Korea
World News
11:11
Russia's FM Lavrov arrives in North Korea
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2025-07-09
Israeli army claims destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon
Lebanon News
2025-07-09
Israeli army claims destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon
0
News Bulletin Reports
12:48
Lebanon, Syria at odds: Syrian detainees in Lebanon top priority for Damascus
News Bulletin Reports
12:48
Lebanon, Syria at odds: Syrian detainees in Lebanon top priority for Damascus
0
News Bulletin Reports
13:10
Parliament prepares immunity vote: Will political shield protect MP George Bouchikian?
News Bulletin Reports
13:10
Parliament prepares immunity vote: Will political shield protect MP George Bouchikian?
0
Lebanon Economy
2025-05-28
Lebanese finance minister, World Bank discuss launch of Lebanon reconstruction fund
Lebanon Economy
2025-05-28
Lebanese finance minister, World Bank discuss launch of Lebanon reconstruction fund
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2025-07-01
Massive fire erupts at unregulated dumpsite in Bchannine, Zgharta district
Lebanon News
2025-07-01
Massive fire erupts at unregulated dumpsite in Bchannine, Zgharta district
0
Lebanon News
2025-06-10
Clash between Lebanese Army and residents of Deir Qanoun Al Nahr results in injuries (Video)
Lebanon News
2025-06-10
Clash between Lebanese Army and residents of Deir Qanoun Al Nahr results in injuries (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2025-06-04
Mexico dedicates garden around Lebanese Emigrant Statue in Beirut to mark 80 years of diplomatic ties
Lebanon News
2025-06-04
Mexico dedicates garden around Lebanese Emigrant Statue in Beirut to mark 80 years of diplomatic ties
0
Lebanon News
2025-05-19
President Aoun to seek Egyptian support for Lebanese Army in detecting explosives and tunnels
Lebanon News
2025-05-19
President Aoun to seek Egyptian support for Lebanese Army in detecting explosives and tunnels
0
Lebanon News
2025-05-15
LBCI Exclusive: US steps up pressure on Hezbollah, Morgan Ortagus details sanctions and vision for Lebanon's future
Lebanon News
2025-05-15
LBCI Exclusive: US steps up pressure on Hezbollah, Morgan Ortagus details sanctions and vision for Lebanon's future
0
Lebanon News
2025-05-11
Kuwait rolls out official welcome for Lebanon's President Aoun – video
Lebanon News
2025-05-11
Kuwait rolls out official welcome for Lebanon's President Aoun – video
0
Lebanon News
2025-05-11
Security incidents temporarily disrupt voting in several Akkar and Minieh-Danniyeh centers
Lebanon News
2025-05-11
Security incidents temporarily disrupt voting in several Akkar and Minieh-Danniyeh centers
0
News Bulletin Reports
2025-05-09
EU ambassador says 'we are not just donors, but genuine partners to Lebanon': Insights from exclusive LBCI interview
News Bulletin Reports
2025-05-09
EU ambassador says 'we are not just donors, but genuine partners to Lebanon': Insights from exclusive LBCI interview
0
Lebanon News
2025-04-23
US envoy Morgan Ortagus hails Lebanese diaspora, says country stands at a crossroads
Lebanon News
2025-04-23
US envoy Morgan Ortagus hails Lebanese diaspora, says country stands at a crossroads
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
05:29
Ahmed al-Sharaa threatens diplomatic and economic escalation over detained Syrians in Lebanon: Syria TV
Lebanon News
05:29
Ahmed al-Sharaa threatens diplomatic and economic escalation over detained Syrians in Lebanon: Syria TV
2
Lebanon News
07:01
President Aoun reaffirms state’s sole authority over arms, rejects normalization, and urges unity
Lebanon News
07:01
President Aoun reaffirms state’s sole authority over arms, rejects normalization, and urges unity
3
Lebanon News
07:46
Syrian government denies plans for escalatory measures against Lebanon, stresses priority of detainee issue: Al-Ekhbariya TV
Lebanon News
07:46
Syrian government denies plans for escalatory measures against Lebanon, stresses priority of detainee issue: Al-Ekhbariya TV
4
News Bulletin Reports
12:55
New chapter on Syrian refugee return: Lebanon launches first coordinated return of Syrian refugees
News Bulletin Reports
12:55
New chapter on Syrian refugee return: Lebanon launches first coordinated return of Syrian refugees
5
Lebanon News
12:23
Lebanon announces new BDL Deputy Governors
Lebanon News
12:23
Lebanon announces new BDL Deputy Governors
6
Lebanon News
04:57
Lebanese Parliament forms subcommittee to review immunity lift request for MP George Bouchikian
Lebanon News
04:57
Lebanese Parliament forms subcommittee to review immunity lift request for MP George Bouchikian
7
News Bulletin Reports
13:10
Parliament prepares immunity vote: Will political shield protect MP George Bouchikian?
News Bulletin Reports
13:10
Parliament prepares immunity vote: Will political shield protect MP George Bouchikian?
8
Lebanon Economy
03:21
Fuel prices shift in Lebanon
Lebanon Economy
03:21
Fuel prices shift in Lebanon
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More