Gay police under investigation for “faith crime”
From the BBC: The Gay Police Association is under investigation for an alleged “faith crime”. In a recent advert in the Independent, the GPA claimed that they had recorded a 74% increase in homophobic incidents “where the sole of primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator”. The advert shows a bible next to a splash of blood.
A single complaint from the public prompted the investigation.
The demented homophobes at the Christian Institute are also up in arms about it, claiming in an email newsletter that the ad was “virulently anti-Christian”, “grossly offensive” and “wholly unsubstantiated”. They urge readers to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority.
… violence or abusive behaviour towards any person – homosexual or otherwise – is totally incompatible with the Christian faith. A violent person cannot be a Bible-believing Christian.
In exactly the same way as no true Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge.
MWW will be watching closely. If this results in a prosecution, it will mean that it is illegal to suggest that religious belief can sometimes lead to violence.
Here is the text of the advert:
In the last 12 months, the Gay Police Association has recorded a 74% increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator.
Verbal abuse and physical assault against gay men and women is a criminal offence and should always be reported to the police.
Discrimination against gay people in the workplace is also unlawful and should be reported to employers, who have a duty of care to prevent it.
Homophobia can never be justified and must never be tolerated.
www.report-it.org.uk
UPDATE: Pink News has more, with quotes from Stonewall, Outrage, and GALHA.
UPDATE: (21/07/06) According to the BBC, in a report on the ongoing spat between the GPA and the Christian Police Association, the complainer was the Rev George Hargreaves. This is the guy who penned Sinitta’s 80s pop masterpiece “So Macho” and stood as a Scottish MEP candidate in Skye for the fundamentalist party Operation Christian Vote.
All Christians really need to say if they are truly offended is, ‘We don’t agree with harming anyone, homosexual or not’. Christians are taking such publicity-motivated offence becuase it has worked so well for Muslims in this country – and is the reason there is no quran in the advert in question, despite (quite anti-social) calls from British Muslims to ‘throw all gays from the highest mountain you can find’. Christians want their own taste of being beyond discussion.
I can’t see that any action against the GPA will stand up. All they do is cite a percentage, a statistic. Can they show it to be true? We assume so. How have they ‘recorded’ the incidents? We don’t know, but presumably they have recorded them, and will have the complainants’ names. Saying that a statistic is offensive to Christians is like saying that the fact that drunken-violence stats are offensive to everyone who drinks.
‘Faith crime’ – yet another excuse for restricting free speech.
[…] *There some more interesting information on the Christian Insitute and a little pat its having with the Gay Police Association over at MediaWatchWatch, at the moment – well worth a visit. […]
Christians could rebut this GPA advert, without calling for censorship and perhaps even prosecution. But the question remains whether the GPA had a valid point to make. Personally I think they did, and surely police officers are in a better position, than most of us, to find out why people went out gay bashing etc. If those people blame their religion for their actions, then what argument have the Christians really got ?
In Iran they execute people for homosexuality. But I am not really aware that Asian Islamic people go out gay bashing… Perhaps they already understand the meaning of discrimination against others and want no part of it, even if their teaching do condemn homosexuality as well.
Perhaps this is the reason the q’oran wasn’t cited in the advert ?
If the CI think Christians don’t condone violence against gays they should look at an item I found in 2004 at http://www.christianmusictv.com/anti_christian_groups.htm.
It’s a list of UK gay youth advice numbers compiled by a sicko US cable TV station called Christian Music TV which was trying to pick up UK viewers. The obvious intent was to provoke enough nuisance calls to close them down.
Saddest thing is, I discovered the number of the group in my area was given to them by a prat from an evangelical church where one of the elders is a retired chief constable.
Christians could rebut this GPA advert, without calling for censorship and perhaps even prosecution. But the question remains whether the GPA had a valid point to make.
I think the advert does make a valid point, and that’s exactly *why* the Christian Institute are choosing to censor rather than respons – because they don’t have a response.
Oh, just assume I can use the quoting tags, everyone…
@Stuart: They are not saying Christians don’t, they’re saying Christians shouldn’t.
It seems a bit unfair to call the Christian Institute “demented homophobes” when they are advocating non-violence… these people (well, all except the sixth) are demented homophobes.
As I understand it, it’s the fact that the advert talked about a rise in homophobic incidents with *religion* as the motivation, yet shows a picture of a Bible…
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the most outspoken homophobes muslim extremist leaders?
@Shaun: “not hearing about it in mainstream western news” != “not happening”
In general, Western news only reports when Westerners are involved, or when a gay rights group draws their attention to a particular case.
Egyptians protest over Brokeback Mountain
12 men jailed in UAE for homosexuality and I quote, “Homosexuality is illegal throughout all of the United Arab Emirates”
Men detained in Egypt on the basis of perceived sexuality
Man convicted and jailed for (among other things) homosexuality after a confession gained “under duress”
But, given where we’re at in the battle against those who would deny us free speech, do you think anyone dare use a picture of the Koran?
@another stuart: “If the CI think Christians don’t condone violence against gays they should look at an item I found in 2004 at http://www.christianmusictv.com/anti_christian_groups.htm
That link doesn’t work any more. Is this a case of effective publicity?
The Christian Institute does seem to be exercised by the laws on sexual orientation, much of its website is given over to the subject.
Their web site contains a link to this http://www.christian.org.uk/soregs/summary.htm which contains the following: “Should it become illegal for a church to refuse to hire out its hall to gay rights activists? This would be as ridiculous as forcing the Labour Party to hire out its HQ to the Conservatives.” I can’t fault the logic of that except that it is arguable that homosexuality is not a choice while membership of a political party is. But just because I can’t fault the logic it doesn’t mean the logic isn’t faulty.
The stance that some christian organisations seem to be taking is, I think, understandable. They hear many of us saying that we don’t want to be forced to live by their moral code yet many christians feel that they are being forced to accept a morality that they reject. So they are fighting back using the tools that have been deployed against them and that they have seen used so effectively by others, such as militant and some not so militant islamists.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance apparently. So it is up to everyone to make sure that no-one, christian, muslim, marxist, pagan or whoever imposes their beliefs on those who don’t want them.
welcome to the twisted logic of New Labour Britain, in today’s Civil Service it only takes a single unsubstantiated complaint by one person to have one’s career destroyed. One is guilty until proven innocent; those investigating are judge, jury and executioner; the rules are written to favour the accuser over the accused.
The complainant does not even have to prove intent. The fact that the the person (no matter how thin-skinned or prickly) FELT offended is sufficient.
Even if the accused is later cleared, he or she will forever be tainted as being a ‘homophobe’, ‘racist’, etc. This is exactly the tactic used in Stalin’s Russia (bourgeois, revisionist,…) to condemn opponents to a bullet in the back of the neck, or in the McCarthyite USA of the 1950s (Communist) to ostracism and unemployment.
Under the Cultural Marxist Weltanschuung that has taken over this country, the rights of special interest groups perceived as having ‘victim’ status (minority ethnic, Muslim, LGB) ALWAYS take precedence over the rights of groups having ‘oppressor’ status (whites, Christians, heterosexuals).
From what I read this is true across all public services, education, academia and the mainstream media.
Well, we ‘oppressors’ are going to use the same arguments against them, if only to prove the inherent bias of and humanist agenda underlying their policies.
@sconzey: It seems a bit unfair to call the Christian Institute “demented homophobes†when they are advocating non-violence… these people (well, all except the sixth) are demented homophobes.
I don’t think you need to add the homophobe to demented when talking about the religious. My uncle who’s recovering from a stroke believes there’s a family living in the bush outside his house, no different to believing a supreme being did it all and then buggered off.
How can anyone seriously enter any sort of reasoned debate with people who still believe they have invisible friends?
@anotherstuart: it was- or wasn’t a case of effective publicity in that CMTV did help close down a much needed facility in my neighbourhood – possibly others – due to intimidation of volunteers and false complaints to the authorities, but in turn my alerting various folk at the time may have helped put pressure on them to remove the link eventually.
@sconzey: The CI are so well connected at Westminster that they wouldn’t need to advocate violence, though whether their homophobia is demented or just copying the US right, who use issues like sexuality and abortion to tie up liberal politicians while their business mates get their real undemocratic agenda through under the radar, might be worth considering. Maybe rather than just write them off as simplistic fuckwits might be worth considering who their sponsors are, and why?
Do you think Jabberwocky lives under a bridge, and gets duped by trios of “rough” goats?
Or could I be wrong, and they aren’t simply an irritating Troll, but sincerely believe that preposterous nonsense about “cultural” marxism…?
In which case, how much do we want to bet they aren’t exactly un-aquainted with, say, the BNP, perhaps? Got any interesting tattoos, Jabberwocky? 🙂
Anonymous posting, natch…
Assuming the GPA have the data, well, Go the GPA! Up here in Dunfermline we firmly rejected “smiling” George, and it would be nice to see this case go to court, so that he might have to dip into his pop-pap-filled wallet to contribute to the resulting costs award…
So this homophobic vicar wrote “so macho” did he ?
I wonder what he had on his mind when he wrote it ? I bet it wasn’t the bible!
Hypocrites, the lot of ’em.
Perhaps they protesteth too much!
[…] The Pink News today reports that the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) have accused Christian Voice of hypocrisy after Stephen Green recently claimed to be responsible for the Gay Police Association’s “bloody bible” advert. […]
Why didn’t the advert show a Koran instead of a Bible?
[…] Pink News carries most of a rather verbose press release from the Gay Police Association. It defends its publication of the bloody bible ad, while reassuring faith groups that it wasn’t attacking ALL religion, mentions freedom of expression which comes with “responsibilities” etc etc. […]
The GPA Ad falls foul of the law and has been reported by many people who were offended by the attempt by the GPA to bring religious hatred against bible believing christians.
1. It has been reported to police stations all over the country as a breach of the law as inciting religious hatred. Despite the Pink news comment that only ‘one’ person complained to Scotland Yard the truth is the Police have been inundated with complaints.It has also been pointed out that the GPA are also guilty of religious discrimination in singling out Christanity (which sees homosexual behaviour as a moral sin like adultery theft etc) when other religions such as Islam have enshrined it s illegal behaviour in countries less tolerant than our own.
2. It has been reported to the advertising Standards authority who are giving the GPA an opportunity to prove that the ad was legal truthful and honest. As far as I am aware the GPA are being asked to show that there are links between those who believe the Bible and violent attacks on people who indulge in homeosexual behaviour.
3. The Independent received so many complaints that they had some full time taking the information as they could be held to account for supporting the Ad shoul it be shown to be illegal. The Police are considering prosecution and the Independent are not responding to the furore of objections yet.
It is unlikely the politically correct masters of the Police prosecution servioce will actually take any action against their own people and in a country that does not believe in holding criminals to account I am saddened but not surprised.There is plenty of scope for prosecuting people who put the wrong trash in their recycling bags or drop an apple core on the street but no heart to prosecute those who stir up religious hatred against christianity when it tries to uphold moral standards against the behvious of those who follow such unnatural practices as the homosexual lobby.
I do not believe we should make moral laxity illegl but its a shame that anyone can say anything nd do whatever they want against christianity but if we so much as suggest that in our view innorality is wrong and damaging to society the family and the nation we receive constant harrassment.
[…] Incitement to religious hatred is illegal under the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. And yet the more extreme anti-gay pronouncements of some religious groups is not covered. Hence the Gay Police Association’s recent newspaper advert (published in the Independent’s Diversity supplment, 29 July 2006 in the run up to EuroPride), drawing attention to the increase in recorded violent homophobic crime attribute to religious belief, is being investigated as a “faith crime” by Scotland Yard (BBC: “Gay police in anti-religion probe“, PinkNews: “Gay community backs GPA’s anti-religion ad“, MediaWatchWatch: “Gay police under investigation for “faith crime”“) while the shocking factual claims of the advert are being largely ignored: In the last 12 months, the GPA has recorded a 74% increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator. […]
I’m thinking of printing my own advertisement. My initial design consists of a tearful monkey sitting
at the feet of a gay man. I’m in the process of coming up with a catchy AIDS awareness slogan.
I’m so sure Christians commit violent crimes against gay people! Gay-bashing is obviously a popular past-time of most ivy-leagued-educated, atheist college professors and wealthy, unreligious New Englanders! How dare the GPA much such an unsubstantiated statement!