Luc Frieden rejects ADR MP's criticism of the Consultative Human Rights Commission

At the end of September, ADR MP Tom Weidig published a post on Facebook in which he took aim at the CCDH president, Noémie Sadler, calling her "an enemy of freedom of speech and direct democracy".

The online tirade took place after Sadler gave an interview discussing, among other things, the petition which sought to ban LGBTQIA+ topics from the school curriculum. Sadler said she believed the petition should not have been accepted by the parliamentary petitions committee in its current form.

According to Weidig's post, the CCDH is an "unelected, clearly left-wing ideological group" which "is not needed".

In a statement published on Friday 11 October, Prime Minister Luc Frieden wrote that:
 
"The Prime Minister wishes to emphasise that he does not share in any way the words of the honourable Member of Parliament who described the Consultative Commission on Human Rights as an 'enemy of democracy'."

Frieden went on to highlight the CCDH's role as a "cornerstone in the defence of strong values, such as human dignity and the fundamental freedoms enshrined within our constitution."

The Prime Minister added that a bill is shortly to be submitted to the government council which will seek to strengthen the CCDH's role by attaching it to the Chamber of Deputies.

Frieden's comments formed part of a response to questions submitted by Green MP Sam Tanson regarding Weidig's controversial online post.

Tom Weidig's Facebook post translation (30/09/2024) 

The new president of the human rights commission is an enemy of true freedom of speech and of direct democracy. She wants to forbid 10,000 citizens from expressing their opinion in a petition!

This is a scandalous undermining of our democracy.The power is given by citizens to their elected representatives, and not by an unelected so-called human rights commission which is clearly occupied with left-wing ideology.

It is like a political coup. She wants to decide as a commission what is right and what is wrong, and everything they dislike is illegal and should be suppressed like the DDR [editor's note: a reference to East Germany]. Shocking.

We don't need a commission like this.

Additionally, she tells lies about me. Neither I, nor the 10,000 people who signed [the petition], are against people who aren't heterosexual, but we are against LGBTQ ideology and indoctrination. 

There is a big difference!

And Simone Beissel and Marc Lies have worked for their municipalities for decades and do good work for their citizens. And they have the courage to tell the truth!!