"The
Europe of yesterday is gone, we have a Europe of today which has no
principles at all," the 90-year-old told a crowd of thousands gathered
in a Harare stadium to mark 34 years since the country's independence
from Britain.
Mugabe, who has been Zimbabwe's ruler since
independence, faces EU sanctions as a result of his authoritarian rule.
He refused to attend an EU-Africa summit earlier this month after his
wife was denied a visa to enter Europe.
"The Europeans will never ever accept a ZANU-PF government in this country," referring to the political party he dominates.
"What
is natural is made unnatural. And what is unnatural they want to say it
is natural," he said in the speech, which lasted an hour and a half.
Mugabe repeated his claims that Europe is trying to force gay rights on Africa.
"(Europe
says) If you pass a law that rejects homosexual marriages we will
punish you like they are doing to Uganda and us," he said.
"Let Europe keep their homosexual nonsense there and not cross over with it here."
Mugabe,
who once said gays and lesbians are worse than pigs and dogs, warned
Western diplomats in Zimbabwe against preaching gay rights, saying they
would be deported.
His election victory last year was rejected by many Western countries amid claims of widespread rigging and intimidation.
But
a defiant Mugabe has refused to brook any dissent, and threatened the
main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, saying its plan to lead
protests over the deteriorating economy and high unemployment would not
be accepted.
"We shall never tolerate acts of violence," he said.
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