Bureaucratic circus in European Union

Thinking is forbidden

We have been informed from European Agenda that they cannot comment the cancellation of hosting TICAP (the International Coalition against Prohibition) conference. In the Bureau of the European Parliament, they say for Wave magazine that the decision has been made according to the rights to use Parliament premises: "The events that are taking place in our premises can under no circumstances have any commercial purpose and they must not undermine Parliament's honour. Besides this, sponsorship is strictly forbidden." The member organizations of TICAP assess this decision as non-democratic. "The reasons such as "Parliament's honour" shows that the Bureau has just been looking for an excuse for the oppression of those who think unconventionally about passive smoking - that is, of those who consider it to be a fraud, Cristoph Lovenich (FORCES Germany) says


By MILENA STOŠIĆ
from Niš, SERBIA


The first international conference against prohibition by the title "Smoking Bans and Lies" should have been held in the European Parliament, in Brussels, organized by TICAP and under the patronage of Godfrey Bloom, a member of the European Parliament. Although the event was put on the European Agenda list of events for 27th and 28th January, it was cancelled without any announcement. "The Parliament Bureau has decided to prohibit the conference at its closed session", IND/DEM (Independence/Democracy Group), one of the political groups in the European Parliament, to which even Godfrey Bloom belongs, has reported. "They have not even been decent enough and they have not informed me about the cancellation for a week", Mr. Bloom says. Eminent scientists from all over the world, who should have given speeches and who should have participated in debates on passive smoking and smoking prohibitions, had been invited to the conference. The event was yet held in Brussels, but on other location, now renamed "Thinking is forbidden", thanks to the engagement of IND/DEM.

Affair

TICAP is the International Coalition against Prohibition which consists of 26 member organizations from Europe and the world (DaRy, FORCES Germany, FORCES International, Freedom to Choose, Initiative für Genuss Berlin, Libertarian Party of Canada, the Voice of Freedom Network...). Those associations question the authenticity and scientific base of the data on the consequences of passive smoking and they offer alternative solutions to smoking prohibitions that have recently been brought up for discussion in numerous countries. "TICAP was established by the citizens who did not want to be scapegoats any longer", Soren Hojbjerg, for the Danish Smokers Rights Organization (DaRy), explains for Wave magazine.

We have been informed from European Agenda that they cannot comment the cancellation of hosting TICAP (the International Coalition against Prohibition) conference. In the Bureau of the European Parliament they say for Wave magazine that the decision has been made according to the rights to use Parliament premises: "The events that are taking place in our premises can under no circumstances have any commercial purpose and they must not undermine Parliament's honour. Besides this, sponsorship is strictly forbidden." The member organizations of TICAP assess this decision as non-democratic. "The reasons such as "Parliament's honour" shows that the Bureau has just been looking for an excuse for the oppression of those who think unconventionally about passive smoking - that is, of those who consider it to be a fraud", Cristoph Lovenich (FORCES Germany) says.

British organization "Freedom2choose" has, in its report for the media, commented on the decision of the European Parliament Bureau as "unheard-of and non-democratic" and "based on false, unproved affirmations". The organizers consider the main reason for the conference cancellation to be lobbying of big pharmaceutical firms (Big Pharm) and anti-smoking organizations (Smoke Free Europe and EPHA- European Public Health Alliance). Florence Berteletti Kemp, the vice-president of EPHA, has confirmed that a letter has been sent to the European Parliament Bureau from anti-smoking organizations (The Smoke free Partnership, Comite National contre le tabagisme and the members of the European Network for Smoking Prevention): "The letter sent to the European Parliament has questioned the usage of the Parliament premises for the organization of such an event and it has revealed the reasons why the event should not be held there." She states that the event opposes the rules of the Parliament itself and that it damages its dignity, as well as the spirit of the International Framework Convention on tobacco control. "As a final result, the conference has been cancelled", F. B. Kemp says, owing to a strong pro-health involvement.

EU is a bureaucratic circus

The conference organizers were really angry because of the evaluation of the event and they categorically negated any connection with tobacco industry, as well as the existence of commercial interests of the financial sponsors. They state that TICAP consists of common citizens who are concerned about the issue of freedom to choose, and that the claims of the vice-president of EPHA, Mrs. Kemp, are "false".

"The main commercial sponsor of the conference is the hospital for rehabilitation in the USA", Soren Hojbjerg (DaRy) reminds us and adds that: "The whole affair shows that what a mockery the European Union makes of democracy and freedom of speech. The EU is a bureaucratic circus who does not care for citizens' wishes". As for anti-smoking organizations, people from DaRy consider that they have presented themselves as "fanatic and intolerant". Cristoph Lovenich (FORCES Germany) shares the same opinion in his statement that "anti-smoker fanatics can use the premises of the European Parliament for spreading its propaganda" and that "it is obvious that dissidents are not allowed" - "Even the invited speakers, such as professor Vos from Holland, were under pressure not to attend the conference".

Nicotine leads millions of smokers to jails

Therefore, opinions are divided. "As you know, we in Great Britain have endured smoking prohibition of 16 months - it was an economic catastrophe: 2600 pubs, clubs and bingo halls were forced to closure; two biggest pubs have suffered, as a result, the drop in their share prices from Ł 12.60 o 36.75 pence. More than 100.000 people stayed without job because of that and it is still not proved that a life was saved by prohibiting smoking", British organization "Freedom2choose" states. On the other hand, the official information of the World Health Organization is that tobacco is the sixth among eight leading causes of death in the world. In 2005 the WHO was the greatest international employee which forbade employment of smokers, with the aim to promote its campaign against smoking. This gesture gave the green light to other employees to behave in the same way, since the laws against discrimination do not protect that category, which Tymothy O'Leary, for WHO, also confirms:

"Tobacco smoking is not one of the five fields included in the laws against discrimination". He also observes for Wave magazine that the WHO has never encountered the legal lawsuit concerning such employment policy and he adds: "In the WHO employment policy, the most important message that we would like you to understand is that we encourage people to take into consideration to stop smoking before they join us."

Tobacco industry Phillip Morris International (PMI) has fenced itself off this conference. From PMI they have said for Wave magazine that they do not agree with many aims that were set by conference organizers, as well as that they believe that the regulation on tobacco products is appropriate.

Johannes Blokland (Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety), a member of the European Parliament, has not stated his opinion about the cancelled conference, but he gave us his opinion about smoking and prohibitions: "Smoking prohibition in workplace means employers' health protection. As for the health of smokers, the best for them would be to stop smoking immediately! But they are weak and nicotine is very attractive! But it is, at the same time, very dangerous and it leads millions of smokers into jails. Nevertheless, it is their responsibility whether they are going to stop smoking or not."

Smoking or not smoking - that is the question

Conference host Godfrey Bloom has expressed his regret at the prohibition of free democratic debate on certain subjects, one of which is also tobacco: "It is hard for me as an Englishman who is used to freedom of speech."

All in all, the conference has still been organized and assessed by "Freedom2choose" as "very successful and exceptionally well visited". John Gray (presiding of TICAP) has said that -"our opponents, prohibitionists can exult as long as they want, pretending that they succeeded in preventing this event and trying, as usually, to mislead the public. The fact is that they have lost despite their dirty tricks and nothing is going to stand in our way from now on."

"This is only the beginning of a very exciting journey", Bill Gibson, the director of TICAP, has said announcing that this coalition will work on revealing also the other life styles that have been being systematically undermined.

Regardless you interpret all those events as infringement of freedom of speech, fatalism or the promotion of individual interests - the fact is that intensive campaigns against smoking are being held in whole Europe, and that efforts are being made to reduce the number of addicts. Such climate dominates although all the ways of fighting are not always in accordance with human rights and equality. Motivation is assessed by everyone in relation to his/her own convictions. However, it seems to be that the smallest link in this chain is mostly attacked - a smoker, who consciously accepts the risk - and now he/she is entrapped in the web of health, responsibility, freedom to choose and laws reconsidering.


(Published: 10.02.2009.)