Singapore bars foreign funding of gay pride rally

Singapore on Friday banned foreign firms from funding an annual gay pride rally as part of new rules governing protests, leading rights campaigners to label the move “outrageous interference”.

Starting next month, only citizens, organisations and firms from Singapore will be allowed to sponsor or participate in activities at Speakers’ Corner, the city’s sole designated protest area, according to the ministry of home affairs.

“Non-Singapore entities will need a permit if they want to engage in such activities relating to the Speakers’ Corner event,” said the ministry.

Singapore has long taken a hard line on what it considers foreign interference in domestic politics and has often been criticised by human rights groups for clamping down on political freedoms.

Human Rights Watch urged foreign companies with regional headquarters in Singapore to reconsider the city state’s suitability as a business location.

“The Singapore government is not going to be satisfied until civil society in Singapore lives on the ground gagged and bound... This is an outrageous interference in the right to freedom of association and a clear continuation of Singapore’s anti-LGBT bias,” said the group’s deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson, said.

The move followed a government warning in June after multinationals led by Facebook, Google and Goldman Sachs sponsored a gay pride rally called Pink Dot as part of their corporate equal-opportunity initiatives.

The rally, which started in 2009, has attracted crowds of up to 28,000 despite a backlash from conservative groups in the multi-racial nation of 5.6 million, where protests are strictly controlled.

In a statement, Pink Dot’s organisers said they were “disappointed” but “respect and understand” the government's position.“In light of the new rules, we call on more Singaporeans and local companies, who share in our desire and vision for a more diverse and inclusive Singapore, to step forward to support us in Pink Dot 2017.”