Jewish Writer Removed From Russian TV After Defending Gay Rights
Image by Getty Images
Reporter James Kirchick’s appearance on a Russian TV channel was cut short Wednesday, when instead of answering a question on Bradley Manning and Wikileaks, he spoke about Russia’s anti-gay legislation, The Washington Free Beacon website has reported.
“Being here on a Kremlin-funded propaganda network, I’m going to wear my gay pride suspenders and speak out against the horrific, anti-gay legislation that Vladimir Putin has signed into law,” the website cited Kirchik as saying.
Kirchick, a columnist with Haaretz, was appearing on the channel RT, which is funded by the Russian government. Russia recently passed a sweeping law banning public discussion of gay rights and gay relationships in front of children.
As the U.S. reporter carried on talking about Russia’s anti-gay laws and the Kremlin’s financial support of the channel, one of the hosts told Kirchik that he has to “come over here and see for yourself.”
Kirchik continued: “You have 24 hours a day to lie about America, I am going to tell the truth with my two minutes.” Shortly after he said this, he dissappeared from the split-screen on the show, the website said.
Read more on Haaretz.com
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
