Anti-gay American cleric banned from UK for inciting hatred

[Al-khiyal]

Anti-gay American cleric banned from UK for inciting hatred

February 19, 2009 -- A homophobic American cleric who runs a website called God Hates Fags has been banned from Britain by the home secretary, Jacqui Smith.

Fred Phelps had vowed to come to Britain with his daughter Shirley to picket a school play in Basingstoke, Hampshire, promoting tolerance for gay people. The play, The Laramie Project, depicts the murder of a homosexual teenager, Matthew Shepard, in the Wyoming town in 1998 and will be staged tomorrow evening at Queen Mary's College.

Phelps, who runs the Primitive Baptist Westboro church in Topeka, Kansas – most of whose congregation are members of his family, including his 13 children – has bought a small plot of land in Laramie on which he plans to build a memorial celebrating the murder, despite local opposition.

He and his family also cause outrage by picketing the funerals of American *servicemen killed in Iraq on the grounds that they have been serving the godforsaken U.S. They wave banners and sometimes trample on the Stars and Stripes to show their contempt for their country. His publicity-seeking behaviour and vehemently expressed views are widely condemned by all mainstream denominations in the U.S.

A posting on the Phelps' companion website God Hates the World this week stated: "God hates England. Your Queen is a whore. You're going to hell."

There was no evidence that the Phelps family, which tours the U.S. in a people carrier spreading their message and has expressed a wish to come to Britain to preach at Speakers' Corner in London, had made arrangements to carry out their threat of travelling to picket the play, but the Home Office said Phelps and other members of his family would be banned from entry if they arrived.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "The home secretary has excluded both Fred Phelps and his daughter from the UK. 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 … regardless of their opinions and beliefs."

[Al-khiyal]

Anti-gay U.S. Christians theaten to picket London primary school

March 20, 2009 -- A group of American Christian fundamentalists whose slogan is "God hates fags" is threatening to picket an east London primary school over its anti-homophobia work.

A row broke out at George Tomlinson primary school in Waltham Forest, north-east London, earlier this month when some parents pulled their children out of lessons planned for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender history month. The school used books on homosexual relationships, in one case between two male penguins.

Members of the Westboro Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas – which has been the subject of a Louis Theroux television exposé – say they will picket the school next Friday afternoon.

The group's founder, Reverend Fred Phelps, was barred from entering Britain last month to stop him spreading "extremism and hatred". He had intended to picket a play about a homophobic killing.

A message on the group's website announcing their plans said: "God hates the UK and the Tomlinson school fag tyranny, where conscientious parents face religious persecution for withdrawing their children from lessons on lying fag so-called history."

Parents who withdrew their children from the classes have been told their absences will be treated as truanting. Waltham Forest council has supported the work its schools are doing to tackle homophobia, which has included a production at a neighbouring secondary of Romeo and Julian, which features a kiss between the two male leads.

A council spokesperson said: "Waltham Forest council wants to promote tolerance in our schools by teaching children everyone in our society is of equal value. This is a core part of the national curriculum for all schools in the country.

"We are supporting teachers and schools in taking positive and innovative steps to develop children's ability to respect people's differences."