Agenda Europe

Last updated

Agenda Europe is a European umbrella organization of more than 100 organizations that "casts gay marriage, trans rights, reproductive freedom, and LGBTQI anti-discrimination efforts as assaults on Christianity" [1] and seeks to promote conservative extremist positions. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Agenda Europa was created in 2013 based on strict criteria of secrecy. Its specifics were only revealed in 2017 when multiple documents emerged regarding the project's operations, participants, goals, and funding. [3]

History

Beginning

Agenda Europa was created in January 2013 out of a meeting that took place in London involving, approximately, 20 North American and European anti-abortion leaders and strategic advisors who aimed to "develop a Christian-inspired European think tank" and "devise new strategies for European anti-abortion movements." [6] [7]

Organized jointly by the Austrian conservative and Catholic activist Gudrun Kugler [8] and the American Terrence McKeegan [9] the London retreat was to be "strictly confidential". Documents later unearthed stated that "this program should not be forwarded for any reason without the permission of the organizers." [2] [7]

In the early days of Agenda Europe Peadar O'Scolai from the Irish organization Family & Life, asked participants to identify "achievable goals for the pro-life movement," while Gudrun Kugler dedicated herself to "developing a pan-European think tank to reflect Christian values" noting that "there is no Christian-inspired think tank in Europe to analyze current trends, to develop responses, arguments, alternatives, and to define languages. Such complex topics are left to non-governmental organizations or a few legislators to solve on their own." [2]

Development

In 2013, an anonymous blog titled "Agenda Europe" appeared, covering news and developments in European politics while harshly criticizing legal and political developments in the area of human rights regarding, inter alia, the right to life, marriage and family, equality, and the freedom of conscience or religion. sexuality and reproduction. The blog quickly became a focal point for traditionalist perspectives in this arena. [10]

In the summer of 2017, some documents regarding the organization became publicly available when anonymous computer hackers hacked the computers of the Spanish NGO HazteOir and published the stolen documents on Wikileaks. These documents were then used for a documentary by Franco-German ArteTV, broadly featuring pro-abortion activist Neil Datta (founder of a group called European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, EPF), allowing him to present his (critical) views. These documents included details of the aforementioned founding meeting that took place in 2013, the name chosen for the organizational center, the subsequent yearly meetings of the board, [10] a list of social networking experts with whom the group intended to act on the internet, and a manifesto entitled "Restoring the Natural Order: an Agenda for Europe." Datta was also the author of a series of brochures subsequently published and distributed by EPF with the purpose of informing the public about "Agenda Europe", which was painted as a dangerous conspirative network with links to the Kremlin as well as the European High aristocarcy and the broad purpose of "rolling back women's rights".

Participants

The hacked documents mentioned above appeared to reveal that up to that point, Agenda Europa's board numbered about 100-150 individuals (including many political leaders and government officials from across Europe) and at least 50 conservative organizations. [2]

The organization can also count on the support of some senior Catholic prelates; an example can be seen at the 2014 annual conference when properties used for spiritual retreats were given to participants by the Archdiocese of Munich. [11]

Financing

According to EPF, the group can count on numerous funds from organizations belonging to: billionaires, aristocrats and oligarchs. Among the names quoted are:[1]

It is, however, not at all clear how much of his wealth each of these supposed financiers is actually dedicating to the financing of "Agenda Europe". If a multi-billionaire had provided the group with significant funding, it would probably have risen to a much higher profile. It would therefore seem that EPF's assumptions must be either mere speculation or grossly overstated.

Strategy

Like any other lobby group, the group acts through: political lobbying, referendum campaigns, petitions and information actions. [2]

To more effectively convey their demands against secularization and cultural revolutions far from their positions, the organization aims to: impute to those who support instances diametrically opposed to theirs that they are discriminating and intolerant towards Christians or that they are Christianophobic by portraying themselves as victims, bring their proposals under the name of "rights" and not "restrictions" or "prohibitions", label their opponents as violent and themselves as "anti-system" trying to become respectable interlocutors at the international level. [2]

Operation

The group has drafted many campaigns to influence legislation in different countries and some of the most important include: [2]

Yearly meetings

The program of the meetings follows a set formula: participants are offered a reception at which an opening speech is made usually by a politician such as Jakob Cornides, then administrator of the European Commission, or Rocco Buttiglione, then an Italian member of parliament, or Aleksander Stępkowski, then deputy foreign minister of Poland. [2] This is followed by a Mass celebration and a two-day seminar with a format that varies from plenary presentations to the creation of thematic working groups related to the group's instances and progress. [2]

Related Research Articles

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

"Gay agenda" or "homosexual agenda" is a term used by sectors of the Christian religious right as a disparaging way to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalization of non-heterosexual sexual orientations and relationships. The term originated among social conservatives in the United States and has been adopted in nations with active anti-LGBT movements such as Hungary and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Hungary</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Hungary face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in Hungary for both men and women. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex is banned in the country. However, households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for all of the same legal rights available to heterosexual married couples. Registered partnership for same-sex couples was legalised in 2009, but same-sex marriage remains banned. The Hungarian government has passed legislation that restricts the civil rights of LGBT Hungarians – such as ending legal recognition of transgender Hungarians and banning LGBT content and displays for minors. This trend continues under the Fidesz government of Viktor Orbán. In June 2021, Hungary passed an anti-LGBT law on banning "homosexual and transexual propaganda" effective since 1 July. The law has been condemned by seventeen member states of the European Union. In July 2020, the European Commission started legal action against Hungary and Poland for violations of fundamental rights of LGBTQI people, stating: "Europe will never allow parts of our society to be stigmatized."

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Estonia since 1 January 2024. The government elected in the March 2023 election, led by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and consisting of the Reform Party, the Social Democrats and Estonia 200, vowed to legalize same-sex marriage. Legislation to open marriage to same-sex couples was introduced to the Riigikogu in May 2023, and was approved in a final reading by 55 votes to 34 on 20 June. It was signed into law by President Alar Karis on 27 June, and took effect on 1 January 2024. Estonia was the first Baltic state, the twentieth country in Europe, and the 35th in the world to legalise same-sex marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Georgia (country)</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Georgia face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Georgia is one of only a few countries in the former Soviet space that directly prohibits discrimination against all LGBT people in legislation, labor-related or otherwise. Since 2012, Georgian law has considered crimes committed on the grounds of one's sexual orientation or gender identity an aggravating factor in prosecution. The legislative ban on discrimination has been enacted as a part of the Government efforts to bring the country closer to the European Union and make the country's human rights record in line with the demands of Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Slovenia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Slovenia have significantly evolved over time, and are considered among the most advanced of the former communist countries. Slovenia was the first post-communist country to have legalised same-sex marriage, and anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation and gender identity have existed nationwide since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iona Institute</span> Irish conservative Catholic organisation

Lolek CLG, operating under the business name the Iona Institute, is an Irish, socially conservative organisation that advocates the advancement and promotion of the Christian religion and its social and moral values. It has been frequently described as a Catholic pressure group. Founded by columnist David Quinn, it was launched publicly in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family First New Zealand</span> Conservative Christian Lobby Group

Family First New Zealand is a conservative Christian lobby group in New Zealand. It was founded in March 2006 by former Radio Rhema talkback radio host and South Auckland social-worker Bob McCoskrie who continues to be its National Director. Its 2006 stated objectives were to "seek to influence public policy affecting the rights and protection of families and promote a culture that values the family". In 2009 Victoria University religious studies professor Paul Morris said Family First was "successfully broadening the Christian agenda in New Zealand politics in a way never seen before". In 2020 Family First was described as "New Zealand's most formidable conservative campaigners". Family First was established by a trust deed under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 in 2006, was registered as a charity in 2007 and deregistered in 2022.

MassResistance is an American organization that promotes anti-LGBT and socially conservative positions. The group is designated an anti-LGBT hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, in part for claims linking LGBT people with pedophilia and zoophilia, and claims that suicide prevention programs aimed at gay youth were created by homosexual activists to normalize and "lure" children into homosexuality.

Slovakia does not recognise same-sex marriage or civil unions. The Constitution of Slovakia has limited marriage to opposite-sex couples since 2014. Bills to recognise same-sex civil partnerships have been introduced several times, most recently in 2023, but all have been rejected. However, there is some legal recognition for unregistered cohabiting same-sex couples; limited rights for a "close person" are recognised under civil and penal law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gudrun Kugler</span> Austrian lawyer and politician

Gudrun Veronika Kugler, née Lang, also known as Kugler-Lang, is an Austrian politician. She is also a Roman Catholic theologian, jurist, and an Austrian People's Party member of Austria's National Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian S. Brown</span> American activist (born 1974)

Brian S. Brown is an American activist who is a co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), and has served as its president since 2010, having previously served as executive director. NOM is a non-profit political organization established in 2007 to work against legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. NOM's mission is "protecting marriage and the faith communities that sustain it".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion-rights movements</span> Social movement advocating for legal access to abortion

Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pregnancy without fear of legal or social backlash. These movements are in direct opposition to anti-abortion movements.

A referendum on banning same-sex marriage was held in Slovakia on 7 February 2015. Critics claimed the referendum was pushed by religious and conservative organisations, aiming to block gay couples from gaining more rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CitizenGO</span> Ultra-conservative advocacy group

CitizenGO is an ultra-conservative advocacy group founded in Madrid, Spain, in 2013 by the ultra-Catholic and far-right HazteOir organization, a similar Spanish platform that has been dedicated to the fight against "gender ideology" since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coaliția pentru Familie</span> Romanian NGO association

Coaliția pentru Familie is an association of about 30 Romanian non-governmental organizations. It seeks to promote the traditional family, and it is also involved in the anti-abortion movement.

Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) is a 501(c)(3) Judeo-Christian non-profit advocacy organization. The organization was founded in 1988, and it is based in Lincoln, Nebraska. It lobbies against same-sex marriage, LGBT adoption, and LGBT rights. The NFA also opposes abortion, gambling, and human trafficking. It advocates for traditional family structures and gender roles.

The Christian Civic League of Maine is a political lobbying group founded to support prohibition of alcohol and later advocating for various conservative Christian policies in the government of the US state of Maine. It is the Focus on the Family affiliate organization for Maine, and its policy priorities today resemble that of this parent organization. It has worked to oppose same-sex marriage and adoption, to censor pornography, to oppose gambling, to legally permit LGBT employment discrimination, and to support conversion therapy.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), returning to individual states the power to regulate any aspect of abortion not protected by federal statutory law.

The Novae Terrae Foundation was formed in 2005 in Saronno by Luca Volontè but remained inactive until 2012. In 2012, it began to serve as part of the Azerbaijani laundromat and channeled €2.39 million from Russian-Azerbaijani sources into campaigns, primarily organized by right-wing religious organizations, against abortion, divorce, alleged "gender ideology", and LGBT rights including same-sex marriage, adoption, and surrogacy.

References

  1. ↑ Butler, Judith (23 October 2021). "Why is the idea of 'gender' provoking backlash the world over?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ""Ristabilire l'Ordine Naturale": la visione degli estremisti religiosi per mobilitare le società europee contro i diritti umani in materia di sessualità e riproduzione" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 "Restoring the Natural Order" (PDF). epfweb.org. 24 May 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  4. ↑ "New book exposes European religious network intent on overturning laws related to sexuality and reproduction". www.epfweb.org (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  5. ↑ Graff, Agnieszka; Kapur, Ratna; Walters, Suzanna Danuta (1 March 2019). "Introduction: Gender and the Rise of the Global Right". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 44 (3): 541–560. doi:10.1086/701152. ISSN   0097-9740. S2CID   150566008.
  6. ↑ "Il presunto manifesto del Congresso delle famiglie di Verona". Open (in Italian). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  7. 1 2 ""Ristabilire l'Ordine Naturale", cosa sappiamo del documento che punta a togliere libertà a donne e Lgbtq+". Open (in Italian). 23 March 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "CV Kugler, Gudrun" (PDF). iti.ac.at. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Donor info" (PDF). neumannschool.org. Retrieved 7 April 2023.[ dead link ]
  10. 1 2 "Private Site". agendaeurope.wordpress.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Schloss Fürstenried". www.erzbistum-muenchen.de (in German). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Patrick Slim Domit, Grupo Sanborns SA de CV: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Michael Hintze". Forbes. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "La Croazia ha vietato i matrimoni gay". Il Post (in Italian). 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "Spain: Abortion Bill Violates Rights". Human Rights Watch. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Slovenia: Same-Sex Marriage Law Rejected by Voters". Library of Congress. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Aborto, l'obiezione di coscienza nel mondo: in Svezia e Finlandia non esiste, in Italia le percentuali più alte". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 10 January 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "Slovak Republic: Effort to Ban Same-Sex Marriage Fails". Library of Congress. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "Women to go on strike in Poland in protest at planned abortion law". the Guardian. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  20. ↑ ""Mum, Dad and Kids" European Citizens Initiative". wucwo.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Bulgaria Court says 'Istanbul Convention' Violates Constitution". Balkan Insight. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  22. ↑ "Croazia. Entrata in vigore la Convenzione di Istanbul". 21 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  23. ↑ Amiel, Sandrine (1 April 2021). "Poland moves a step closer to quitting domestic violence treaty". euronews. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  24. ↑ "Romania is holding a vote on whether to permanently ban gay marriage" . The Independent. 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.