Why Celebrities Are Boycotting Hotels Owned By The Sultan Of Brunei
Famous designers in the fashion industry took to social media to urge followers and fashion week attendees to boycott hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
By Melody Oei — 22 Apr 2014, 06:56 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
Beverly Hills City Council Passes Resolution Criticising Brunei For Controversial Penal Code
Beverly Hills city council has condemned the government of Brunei for introducing new laws that impose harsh penalties, including death by stoning for homosexuality and adultery, and called on it to either change its laws or sell two of its most famous hotels.
aljazeera.comThe council unanimously passed on Tuesday, 6 May 2014, a resolution criticising Brunei, which has drawn fire for a controversial penal code announced last month. Brunei owns the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air, two properties in its Dorchester Collection.
aljazeera.comThe resolution will be delivered to the US State Department, asking that the government take "appropriate action" to condemn Brunei's policies.
aljazeera.comOn Wednesday, 7 May 2014, Mayor Lili Bosse said: "I brought this resolution forward because of my own and the Beverly Hills community’s fierce reaction to the horrific laws and punishments in Brunei. These laws are shocking, inhumane and must be met with a strong statement of support for human rights of the people of Brunei."
aljazeera.comOn 5 May 2014, Jay Leno Joined Demonstrations Outside The Beverly Hills Hotel To Protest Against The Sultan Of Brunei
TV personality Jay Leno (centre) attends a rally protesting against Brunei's new strict sharia law penal code outside the Beverly Hills Hotel, which is owned by the Sultan of Brunei, in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2014.
Image via ReutersJay Leno joined demonstrators on Monday outside the Beverly Hills Hotel to protest against draconian laws in Brunei, adding more momentum to a boycott of the hotel and others in the Dorchester Collection owned by the Sultan of Brunei after he ushered in Shariah law last week that could see gay people and others being stoned to death for things that are perfectly legal in most parts of the world.
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Brunei's all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced last Wednesday, 30 May 2014, that he would push ahead with the sharia law that will eventually include tough penalties such as death by stoning.
"What is this, Berlin, 1933? This doesn't seem far off what happened in the Holocaust. Come on people, it's 2014. Evil flourishes when good people do nothing." - Jay Leno
thestar.com.myOn 4 May 2014, Richard Branson Took To Twitter To Announce His Boycotting Of Hotels Owned By The Sultan Of Brunei
Richard Branson's tweet on boycotting hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
Image via @richardbranson/TwitterVirgin Group mogul Richard Branson became the latest to lend his name to the effort. "No @Virgin employee, nor our family, will stay at Dorchester Hotels until the Sultan abides by basic human rights," he wrote on Twitter on Saturday, 3 May 2014.
Virgin counts over 50,000 employees worldwide across a range of business operations, according to the company's website.
Ellen DeGeneres And Sharon Osbourne Are Also Part Of The Group Of Celebrities Who Have Joined The Boycott
Others who have called for a boycott include comedian Stephen Fry, TV host Sharon Osbourne and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
yahoo.comThe Sultan Of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, Has Recently Made Headlines For Wanting To Implement Execution By Stoning As Punishment For Gay Sex On 22 April 2014
Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah delivers his speech during the official opening of the Majlis Ilmu 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan on October 22, 2013.
Image via GettyThe new criminal code brings in execution by stoning as the punishment for gay sex and adultery as well as rape. It also introduces the death penalty for defamation of the Prophet Mohammed, blasphemy and declaring oneself a non-Muslim.
The move also sparked an outcry earlier this year on social media — the only outlet for public criticism of authorities in Brunei, where questioning the 67-year-old sultan is taboo.
On Top Of That, The New Criminal Code Would Phase In Punishments Including Severing Of Limbs For Theft And Flogging For Violations Ranging From Abortion To Alcohol Consumption
The new criminal code will phase in punishments, including execution by stoning for offences such as sodomy and adultery, severing of limbs for theft, and flogging for violations ranging from abortion to alcohol consumption.
yahoo.comIn Response, An LGBT Advocacy Group In The US Moved The Location Of A Conference Originally Set To Be Held At Beverly Hills Hotel, A Hotel Owned By The Sultan Of Brunei
An LGBT advocacy group has moved the location of a conference it is planning to hold later this year from the Beverly Hills Hotel to a different location in protest of anti-gay policies being adopted by the Sultan of Brunei - the owner of the hotel - that calls for homosexuals to be stoned to death.
dailymail.co.ukIn light of the Brunei government's new penal code, The Gill Action Fund (a LGBT advocacy group) executive director Kirk Fordham told the paper Thursday that "Gill Action made the decision earlier today to relocate its conference from the Beverly Hills Hotel to another property."
Famous Shoe Designer Brian Atwood, Very First American To Be Hired By Versace, Called The Implementation "Absolutely Unforgiving!"
On Tuesday, shoe designer Brian Atwood posted a message on his Instagram account, asking fashion week attendees not to stay at the Principe di Savoia in Milan, Le Meurice in Paris or the Dorchester in London -- luxury hotels all owned by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.
The sultan controls Brunei Investment Agency, which counts the Dorchester Group as a subsidiary. The Dorchester Group owns The Dorchester Collection, which owns the aforementioned hotels along with the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air in L.A. -- two favorites for fashion events and press previews.
He Took To Instagram To Ask Fashion Week Attendees To Boycott All Luxury Hotels Owned By The Sultan Of Brunei
Shoe designer Brian Atwood responds to the Sultan of Brunei wanting to implement death by stoning, for the LGBT community.
Image via @brian_atwood/InstagramFashion Designer Peter Som, Whose Clientele Include Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman And Liv Tyler, Regrammed Atwood's Message On Instagram And Told His Followers To "#takeastand" and "#boycott"
Brunei's Plans To Implement Harsh Islamic Punishments Earned Condemnation From The United Nations
The UN’s human rights office criticised the raft of harsh new measures this month, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the revised criminal code.
"We are deeply concerned about the revised penal code in Brunei Darussalam, due to come into force later this month, which stipulates the death penalty for numerous offences," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for human rights.
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In Latest Developments, However, Brunei (As Of 22 April 2014) Has Currently Postponed This Implementation But Would Begin "In The Very Near Future"
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei (L) poses with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for photographers prior to a meeting at the Istana in Singapore. The Sultan is in Singapore for a three-day state visit from 21 to 23 April 2014.
Image via APBrunei has postponed its implementation of harsh Islamic punishments, due to begin on Tuesday, that have earned condemnation from the United Nations and sparked rare criticism at home.
No confirmed new date was given for the start of the punishments - which will eventually include flogging, the severing of limbs and death by stoning - but an official told the Brunei Times they would begin "in the very near future".