Knock knock, who’s there, the police! What are the police doing here? I’m a pastor, is a member of my congregation in trouble? No sir, says the officer, you are! You are being charged with committing a homophobic crime. You sent an email to a homosexual and they are offended.
True, not false; this is a hate crime committed in Norwich, Norfolk, in the farming fenlands of eastern England. It’s a traditional place and not where you’d first think of as a hive of gay-activism. The cathedral dominates the landscape and when the openly gay Conservative Iain Dale (now on LBC Radio) ran for parliament in 2005 the competing Lib.-Dems. increased their majority.
But tradition is out of the window for Dr Alan Clifford, leader of Norwich Reformed church where, as the website claims, “we seek to proclaim God's good news in this world”. In following this Clifford sent an email with 2 tract attachments to organizers of Norwich’s gay pride march titled ‘Christ Can Cure — Good News for Gays’; and the other ‘Jesus Christ — the Saviour we all need’.
According to the Norfolk constabulary this constitutes a hate crime and the good Reverend is given the choice of paying an on-the-spot fine of £90 on a Saturday afternoon (not sure if he can pay with a debit card); or contesting the charge in an on-the-spot written defence (which he doesn’t get a copy of), which will then be judged by a senior officer and then the Crown Prosecution Service.
A homophobic crime is defined as something likely to annoy or cause offence, directed at the homosexuality of another. There is supposed to be an exception for religious speech but it seems that some constabularies are more concerned about being targeted by liberal extremists than they are in actually following the law. The police leaflet handed to Clifford says if ‘any incident which is perceived to be homophobic by the victim or any other person’ has occurred there is a crime.
It’s not the first time the Rev. Clifford has had a run-in with the local establishment. Last year his church was banned from the local community centre and prohibited from operating its weekly market stall after the city received a single complaint that the church’s pastor was producing ‘hate-motivated’ literature against Islam.
The police on this occasion determined there was no crime though it’s hard to see the difference in the facts. Regardless Norwich City Council, having sat in judgment according to renowned blogger Cranmer; denied the church their freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of religion. The Council’s secret inquisition judged that Dr Clifford is motivated by ‘hate’, and that’s the end of the matter.
This Obama style rough-shot abuse of power spurred a march by the English Defence League who protest all such occasions of discrimination in favour of Islam. Clifford distanced himself from the EDL saying “My objections to Islam are ideological not racial. Indeed, I have more affinity with Asian Christians than English atheists. The appalling collapse of Christian conviction in the UK is also to be blamed for Muslim encroachment.”
It has reached a point bordering on the absurd in Britain and also of complete inconsistency. Another pastor in another county who shall remain nameless less the police come to his house wrote to the local newspaper expressing his opposition to the advance of gay marriage legislation. In this instance there was no reaction from authorities but others have had visits from the police before. The American Pastor arrested near Wimbledon in June for quoting a Bible Scripture about homosexuality affirms this wayward thinking.
Adrian Hilton writing for ‘The Spectator’ said: "Dr Clifford may exercise his freedom of speech – especially in regard to religious liberty and preaching the Word of God – even if this might cause offence. I find myself now feeling not much less than contempt for those gays who persecute and prosecute elderly hotel owners and B&B proprietors, or call in the police when they receive ‘Good News for Gays’ in their inbox. It is deeply and profoundly intolerant."
And he’s spot on. It’s the gay lobby that has become the most intolerant and the most bigoted. Any opposition to their positions is met with extreme force designed to either scare you off or crush you if you stay. Our rights to disagree on the topic are under threat; standing with the good Reverend is an important step in holding on to them.
