George Clooney has called for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the country Brunei after New Islamic criminal laws took effect that made gay sex and adultery punishable by death by stoning.
Clooney stated in his opinion piece that the boycott of these luxury hotels was necessary to stop money from going “directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery.”
Prior to the law, homosexuality was already considered illegal in the country and punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Many other celebrities have also supported Clooney in his call for the boycott, including known LGBT+ entertainers Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John.
Tomorrow, the country of #Brunei will start stoning gay people to death. We need to do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up. pic.twitter.com/24KJsemPGH
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 2, 2019
I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right. Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect – as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world.
— Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 30, 2019
The nine hotels owned by Brunei are:
- The Dorchester, London
- 45 Park Lane, London
- Coworth Park, UK
- The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
- Le Meurice, Paris
- Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
- Hotel Eden, Rome
- Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan
Clooney believes that a boycott will “have little effect on changing these laws” imposed by the Monarchy. What he does hope for, however, is that consumers worldwide take a stand against these injustices. “Are we really going to help pay for these human rights violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens?” he wrote. “I’ve learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can’t shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way.”
What do you think about this new law?
