The Guardians of Thought

Via Frank Fisher, this story.

A Christian campaigner who handed out anti-homosexual leaflets at Cardiff’s Mardi Gras gay and lesbian festival has appeared before city magistrates.

What’s all this about? Well, it seems that Stephen Green of Christian Voice fame was distributing this (pdf). It’s pretty much saying what Christians have always been saying about homosexuality and uses Bible quotes to back up his stance. This attitude is not so far removed from the position taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The archbishop of Canterbury has told homosexuals that they need to change their behaviour if they are to be welcomed into the church, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Now, I don’t hold a brief for Mr Green (or for that matter, Rowan Williams) but the question has to be asked; why has Green’s anti-gay leaflet distribution landed him in court and Williams’ request for gays to “change their ways” not resulted in a similar charge being brought against him? And, while we are on the matter of charges, what exactly is Green guilty of?

Mr Green, from Carmarthen, denied using threatening words and behaviour and was remanded on unconditional bail.

Apparently, according to Green’s pdf file (linked above), he was charged with a public order offence. Since when was giving out leaflets containing Bible quotes a public order offence?

As Frank points out in his entry, the police now have diversity units that police what we say and think. Objecting to homosexuality is verboten. It’s not a criminal offence, mind. That, however, does not stop the police diversity unit wasting time and resource prosecuting such transgressions with the utmost vigour.

Frank took this up with the Manchester police when they conducted a raid to seize images of the prophet Mohammed (they clearly had nothing better to do):

I pointed out that in a city where arson wasn’t investigated due to a lack of resources, investigating something that wasn’t a crime seemed odd. I got a very snotty letter back from the brilliantly titled “Diversity Command”, who I assume operate from an extinct volcano in Bolton, telling me that the police would crack down on whatever they perceived as discrimination wherever they encountered it. Er? Discrimination, in life, employment and even in the police, is not a criminal matter. The police have no mandate for enforcing anti-discrimination measures, and they sure as hell don’t have a mandate for intimidating people into accepting each and every “diversity” suggestion, as if it has the weight of criminal law. The head honcho at Diversity Command suggested I consider my viewpoint, and give it further thought.

 

I did. I thought he was some kind of nasty little fascist in the making. I still do.

So do I. I hope that the magistrates in Cardiff take the same vigorous view that their counterparts took in Abergavenny recently in similar circumstances when they cleared people prosecuted for daring to think and say things that were not officially sanctioned. You would think that the police diversity unit would learn from this failure and amend their ways. It seems not, given their decision to prosecute Green for dishing out leaflets containing his “unacceptable views”. Dissent, it seems is not to be tolerated. There is the officially accepted opinion laid down by those that know and we are all to toe the line – or be prosecuted for daring to speak out. Never mind that it is not a criminal offence… Oh, well, back to the magistrates, I suppose. If they kick this one out, will that indicate that they are in need of some “diversity training”?

In a liberal democracy, we are supposed to have the freedom to think and speak as we please. That our opinions may contradict those held by the majority should not matter, we should be free to express them; to criticise minority groups, or those designated as “victims” (even if they are not victims at all) if we wish. If those views offend others, that’s too bad. No one has the right to be shielded from offence – the very concept is puerile in the extreme. Yet here we are with the police wasting time persecuting people for just that; daring to express non-approved views. Dissent is verboten and will be punished accordingly. Welcome to new Britain and “diversity”.