U.K. bars entry to anti-gay American preacher

[vintagehoover]

'...Phelps is not dangerous. He is offensive, annoying and in everyone's face, but he is actually quite harmless.'

Before making a statement like that, I'd ask the friends families of some of the innocent people who's funerals he's picketed whether they consider him "harmless". I'd ask the many people on whom his message has inflicted pyschological damage whether they consider him "harmless". I'd ask Matthew Shepard's mother whether she considers him "harmless". On a political level, someone as delusional as him may be considered harmless, but what about on a personal level?

'Otherwise it really is just a matter of 'sticks and stones'.'

Again, make that judgement when they've disrupted the funeral of someone you love.

'The ones that operate insidiously, politically and socially, with enough leverage to really hurt the social minorities they don't approve of. Why don't they get banned from spreading their sugar-coated poison?'

There's a difference between publically condemning something you disagree with, within the confines of the law, and using deranged, hateful rhetoric which has been judged both in the US and the UK as being likely to incite violence towards the minority in question. The others don't get banned because they stay within the law. Phelps has broken the law on many occasions.

'You may agree with it, but it really shouldn't be their decision. It is their job to put legislation in place that gurantees equal rights, treatment and protections to ALL citizens.'

We do have comprehensive laws to protect all UK citizens. It was judged that Phelp's actions were likely to break those laws, and put the physical and pyschological well-being of a minority at threat. A reasonable assumption, based on his well-documented past actions - therefore, he was banned.

'I can also punch someone in the nose if need be.'

So we should have let them in and assaulted them?

'What about those homosexuals who would have liked the opportunity to attend one of Phelps' meetings on British soil? What about their rights?'

Basingstoke isn't far from Woking. 30 mins or so by train. My friends and I were fully intending to attend the counter-protest. We're all quite relieved that now we don't have to. We have better uses for our time. I don't feel my rights were taken away; instead there's an overwhelming sense of victory here that once again, the UK has managed not to kowtow to the warped thinking of fundementalist religion.

 

[rapunzel]

"There's a difference between publically condemning something you disagree with, within the confines of the law, and using deranged, hateful rhetoric which has been judged both in the US and the UK as being likely to incite violence towards the minority in question. The others don't get banned because they stay within the law."

So it is okay to spread hatred as long as it is 'sugar-coated' and within the law. Uhm, this is a little too complicated for my simple mind.

Was it Phelps' intention to picket funerals whilst in the UK? No doubt his pickets are extremely upsetting to those individuals whom he targets at funerals. But he hasn't the gumption or charisma to pull in and incite throngs of followers to go out and wage his personal war on a grand scale. Very few people, even in America, want to be associated with him and his group. Anything else he does could easily be handled under public nuisance or defamation legislation if people really wanted to do something about him. Banning someone from speaking makes it easier to ignore an issue and pretend that it will all conveniently go away - in reality it never does. It's like many other significant social issues that people were and often still are loath to talk about.

Now, you feel that your government was correct in banning Phelps outright from entering the country - I disagree and I have explained why. For me it all comes back to that 'slippery slope' I mentioned earlier. Now let us agree to disagree on this issue.

Cheers

rapunzel

 

[vintagehoover]

Better luck next time, Phelps. We'll be waiting.

 

[petek]

The difference is is that Phelps is not a UK citizen or a legal UK immigrant residing in the UK of which he would have been able to and had the right attend these rallys and funerals and spew his filth and be charged if warranted.
Since he is not either of the above and the UK is aware of his leanings then I see nothing wrong with them barring him from entering. He has no right to enter the country. Only a citizen of the UK has the unfettered "right" to enter the UK from outside and not be turned away by the govt. Everyone else is just a guest. Same applies to any country

 

[spiceman1957]

Whats with this man? and..

why does he has such hatred towards gays? Its one thing to say you disaprove homesexuals,okay, its not everyone cup of tea, but its another thing to eat, sleep, and consistenly thinking about homesexuality. If I didn't know better, one would think he maybe a closet gay. There something more about this issue with him than we know.