Activists to host International Day of Action against ‘stone-the-gays’ Sultan
Activists in 13 cities worldwide are to hold an International Day of Action on Friday, in a continuation of the protest against anti-gay and anti-women laws in Brunei, as part of the #StopTheSultan campaign.
Protests will be held outside hotels owned by Brunei and run by the Dorchester Collection. This includes Le Richemond in Geneva, Hotel Eden in Rome, and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
A demo is to be held in Mayfair, London by LGBT rights activists and the GMB trade union. The campaign calls for a continued hotel boycott, and for the Sultan to “change the laws or sell the hotels”.
Rallies are also planned at Brunei embassies in four continents, including those in Canberra, Australia and Delhi, India.
The protests, which are planned to mark the 45th anniversary of the New York Stonewall Riots, are a continuation of a celebrity hotel boycott which has lasted for several months.
Stephen Fry, one of those publically involved in the boycott, yesterday tweeted: “Still boycotting @DC_LuxuryHotels until the anti-gay laws in Brunei are repealed. #uprising of love #StopTheSultan #havetomakeastand”.
Despite the international backlash, the Dorchester Collection has promised to guarantee the jobs, income, gratuities and benefits of all its employees.
