Dear friends,
There are some days when I am especially proud to work for ACRI. Yesterday was one of those days.
Yesterday, the High Court of Justice (HCJ) accepted our petition against the Second Television and Radio Authority, which disqualified three sentences from a public service announcement that we produced. The HCJ agreed that a message promoting human rights cannot be considered controversial in a democratic state, and that the Second Authority should not disqualify sentences such as “The right to speak Arabic without being afraid” and “The right to love, even if I’m gay.”
In a divided society like Israel’s, almost any subject is controversial. But some issues, including equality and minority rights, should not be under debate. After all, these are the values that underpin a democratic society! Thankfully, the HCJ agreed.
There was one bit of bad news, though. The HCJ approved the disqualification of the word “marriage” referring to same-sex couples. The justices explained that the issue of civil marriage – not only same-sex marriage – is still controversial in Israel. So clearly, we still have some work to do.
We will continue to struggle for the freedom of expression, and for the right of every man and woman to marry the person they love.
Yours,
Sharon
Adv. Sharon Abraham-Weiss
Executive Director
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
