28 September 2015 Addressing the General Assembly today, President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe condemned sanctions against his country imposed by the European Union and the United States and called for broad scale reform of the United Nations and its institutions.
Advertisement
Mugabe argued against what he calls “new human rights”, Buzz Feed reported. “We reject attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe says interference in the domestic affairs of independent nations has triggered the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.
The 91-year-old then deviated from his prepared speech, declaring: “We are not gays” – drawing laughter and applause from a few of those listening.
Mugabe’s comment was made with regards to the “politicisation” and “double standards” applied when victimising those “who dare to think and act independently of the self-anointed prefects of our time”.
Zimbabwe has one of the worst LGBT rights records on the African continent, with the country’s leader frequently demonising homosexuality. “Confrontation, vilification, and double-standards will not”.
“Despite all these challenges and the speech by President Mugabe on Monday at the United Nations against gays, I will continue to fight for the rights of all our members”, said Samba.
Advertisement
Whether Mugabe truly believes this is uncertain, but it does indicate that in Sub-Saharan Africa there is still a culture of homophobia that is stubbornly persisting despite pressure from world leaders to make a change. “It becomes worse and Satanic when you get a prime minister like Cameron saying countries that want British aid should accept homosexuality,” he said at the time.
