2024-07-03 14:18:49
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves on Saturday dismissed the Minister of Culture and Youth, Nayuribe Guadamuz, and the Commissioner for Social Inclusion, Ricardo Sosa, for supporting the LGBT march called for Sunday in the capital San José.
“The decision was made because they processed a declaration of cultural interest for an LGBT pride march without the authorization of the President,” the Costa Rican government said in a statement.
According to the note, Chaves “was not aware of this declaration,” so his dismissal is due to the fact that the officials did not notify him of their decision.
“The declaration of cultural interest of the activity was revoked by the government this afternoon (Saturday),” the statement added.
A march in defense of LGBT rights is scheduled for Sunday in San José, starting from Sabana Park towards Plaza de la Democracia, in front of the Congress of Deputies.
According to a statement from the Costa Rican presidency, the march does not have the necessary permits from the authorities, which has been denied by the event’s organizers.
“The march continues, the act that the President is carrying out is an illegal act, the procedures were carried out as any activity is carried out,” said Geovanny Delgado, spokesperson for the March of Diversity.
Chaves’ decision “is simply a populist act, like the one (Salvadoran President) Nayib Bukele made recently, we regret that it is used as a show,” Delgado added.
Bukele fired more than 300 employees of the Ministry of Culture on Thursday for promoting “agendas” incompatible with his government’s vision.
Bukele did not mention what “agendas” or “vision” he was referring to, but last week he appointed former teacher Raúl Castillo as Minister of Culture to ensure the “values” of the Salvadoran family.
Bukele’s announcement came ten days after the Ministry of Culture announced that it had cancelled the presentation of a play because on its first and only day of staging it showed “content unsuitable for Salvadoran families.”
On Friday, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court refused to ban the Pride march called for Saturday by the LGBT community, but ordered the government to ensure the “protection” of “values” and “morals.”
The high court issued the order in a provisional injunction granted to a conservative lawyer seeking to block the parade, which took place in the central streets of Guatemala City, the capital.
bur-jjr/cjc
© Agencia France-Presse
