Monday, 29 June 2009

Watch the video (2.37 mins)

Many of you will remember the 2005 story of Joe and Helen Roberts - an elderly Christian couple from Lancashire who were interrogated by police because they criticised a 'gay rights' project being run by their local council.

In this new video, Helen speaks about how intimidating it was to be questioned by police officers for over an hour. The officers told them they were near to committing a hate crime which carries a seven year prison sentence.

Joe says Wyre Borough Council kept talking about 'diversity' but the council's brand of diversity didn't seem to allow him and his wife to express their religious beliefs on sexual ethics.

He says he never thought he would see the day when British police officers would be interrogating citizens because they had expressed a point of view in a telephone call.

A year after the events, following a legal action supported by The Christian Institute, the police and the council admitted they had acted wrongly towards the Roberts and changed their policies to avoid it happening again.

Last year Parliament passed a free speech protection making it clear that criticising homosexual conduct is not, in itself, a crime.

But the Government is trying to repeal it. We expect a vote in Parliament sometime in July. Please pray that the free speech protection remains.

Let's be free to disagree.

Please forward this to your friends

Yours in Christ,

Colin Hart
Director
The Christian Institute