A quick post...

I'm just leaving to go and hear Sir John Houghton, but I've just come across something odd. The Indy is reporting that two American Baptists have been banned from entering the UK because they incite hatred gays.

"Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities.

"The Government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms.

"We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country.

"That was the driving force behind the tighter rules on exclusion for unacceptable behaviour that the Home Secretary announced on October 28 last year.

"The exclusions policy is targeted at all those who seek to stir up tension and provoke others to violence regardless of their origins and beliefs."

Phelps, 79, and his daughter Shirley, 51, belong to the US Westboro Baptist Church based in Kansas which calls for homosexuals to be killed.

I checked out that last bit though, which says their Church calls for gays to be killed. Also the bit about "violent" messages. There's no mention of it on Phelps' Wiki page. Does he incite violence, or merely hatred? That's a crucial difference in my book. Is there perhaps some spinning from the Indy here?

No time to check now, but I'll look into it when I get a chance.

Comments

[Jock]

I have had the (mis)fortune of being on a (Cathollic!) mailing list with one of Fred Phelp's older grand children and when I confronted him that what his family do incites violence against gay people, he was appalled at the mere thought that they could be responsible for anything bad actually happening to people. Genuinely appalled. Of course they don't call for gay people to be killed, they repeat a mantra that they are condemned to hell rather than have eternal life - and so, moreover, is everyone who does not do as he and his cult do.

Nonetheless, I think they have been cited for incitement to violence. But to be honest, he's one sad mother whose platform and tactics makes him a laughing stock. I am genuinely surprised he wants to come to the UK though - I'd have thought we were so much more a lost cause to hm than even the United States.

He's a hateful disgusting little man and frankly if he's going to be done for anything it should be child abuse - bringing up his family to behave that way.

[Dom]

Do you remeber Mathew Shepard, the young man who has beaten and tied to a fence and left to die? Phelps and his church stood outside the funeral house shouting "God hates fags". He has done this in other cases, too.

There is always a rumor that Phelps was once a lawyer for the ACLU, although I never checked it out. He definately has a liberal background.

[Tristan]

He wants to come to protest outside some play which condemns homophobic violence (according to Index On Censorship).

Frankly, I'd let them come over here - protesting against people protesting against violence - great way to look like a complete idiot...

It would be brilliant if we could find a pacifist homophobe to argue against his protest...

[Bishop Hill]

He does sound disgusting. Still got to let him in though.

[Rod]

Louis Theroux did a documentary about them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ZFR4DbC5o

[sconzey]

Louis Theroux did indeed do a documentary on him, and it is, like most Theroux documentaries fair and sympathetic. He finds that Phelps and co -- while guilty of schadenfreude -- do not actively encourage violence against homosexuals, seeing it as the duty of God to punish sinners through misfortune or natural disasters.

While not quite the pacifist homophobe requested by Tristan, he's as close as I think you're likely to find.