Anti-Gay Group Funds US Politicians Visit to Israel

By YANIR DEKEL
The Southern Poverty Law Center, an American civil rights group based in Montgomery, Alabama, has reached out to Havana, the Israeli branch of the organization that marks IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) to inform that several members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) are scheduled to visit Israel from January 31 to February 8. The all-expenses-paid trip is sponsored the American Family Association (AFA), an anti-LGBT hate group.
“In response, we have sent letters to the Republican National Committee members urging them not to attend,” writes SPLC Campaign Coordinator Stephen Piggott, who signed the letter. “We are also reaching out to LGBT groups in Israel to inform them about the trip and urge groups to respond.”
The letter also lists a few examples of the racist statements made by AFA staffers and leadership:
“Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and 6 million dead Jews.”
“African Americans “rut like rabbits” and "women have no place in politics or the military.”
“Hispanics are “socialists by nature” and come to the United States to “plunder” our country.”
“We are a Christian nation, and not a Jewish or Muslim one.”
But it looks like the AFA has also being spreading its views to countries outside of the US. A couple of years ago, Bryan Fischer, the public face of the group, came out in favor of Uganda‘s anti-homosexuality law. Fischer took to Twitter praising Uganda falsely, suggesting Uganda had just made homosexuality illegal while in fact, homosexuality has been illegal since British 19th century colonial rule.
“Homosexuality is now against the law in Uganda, just as it was for 200 years in the US. It can be done,” Fischer wrote.
Chairman of Havana in Israel, Yadin Sapir, has commented on the arrival of the group sponsored by the AFA: “It looks like being defeated in the US makes them look for other markets and partners for their dark and rotten views of the world.”