In the run up to the Europride gay and lesbian parade in London, which was on the 1st July, the Gay Police Association (GPA) published a newspaper advert showing a Bible next to a pool of blood.

Now they are being investigated (via) on the basis that claiming that there is a link between homophobic attacks and religious belief might be a “faith crime”.

This is getting silly, how long will it be before someone is investigated for suggesting that there might be a link between pornography and masturbation? And what the hell is a faith crime?

Scotland Yard said that their inquiry was was prompted by a complaint by a member of the public. That’s a single complaint from a single person, who we can safely guess is both Christian and homophobic on the basis of their complaint.

What the advert actually said is:

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

This is a story to watch because if it does lead to a prosecution then the police will have effectively banned anyone from sugesting that religious belief can lead to violence.

Update

So I suggested that the person who complained about the GPA ad is both Christian and homophobic. Guess what?

A minister, Reverend George Hargreaves, complained about the advert and said its claim was nonsense.

He also called the GPA “Christianphobic”, prompting a Met Police investigation into whether the advert constituted a faith crime.

Reverend George Hargreaves is the leader of Operation Christian Vote which is described by the Wikipedia as taking a strongly Anti-Gay stance.

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