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If he was referring to Michal Kaminski, he's not saying
Ben Summerskill
Stonewall's chief boycotts Tory conference Pride
Stonewall's chief executive, Ben Summerskill, boycotted a new Pride event at the Conservative party conference in Manchester last night in protest at the presence of "people of such extreme and offensive views" elsewhere at the conference.
Summerskill appeared to be referring to Michal Kaminski, the Polish Law and Justice party MEP who is the leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group which the Tories are in alliance with in the European Parliament.
Yesterday, an open letter signed by celebrities and politicians including Stephen Fry and Labour MEP Michael Cashman questioned David Cameron's alliance with Polish allies whose "vile rhetoric - branding homosexuality as a 'pathology', gays as 'perverts', and describing 'the affirmation of homosexuality' as the 'downfall of civilisation' - was used to whip up hate during their election campaign".
"There is no doubt the progress that has been made in the last couple of years has genuinely been historic," Summerskill told Channel 4 News. "It would be churlish of anyone not to welcome the apology a couple of months ago over Section 28.
"But the event tonight has been overshadowed by the presence, not just at conference but on the same platform as some senior members of the party, of people of such extreme and offensive views.
"And certainly there are people I've spoken to at the conference today, not just gay people but Jewish delegates as well, who share that viewpoint."
When C4's political correspondent Cathy Newman asked him why he would not be attending the event at which he would be the star speaker, Summerskill replied: "You would have to draw your own conclusions about that."
