While checking pinknews, a European gay news service, I chanced upon a story exposing the Orwellian nature of some Hate Crimes legislation. Just like in Canada, it seems that all it takes for a crime to take place in the United Kingdom is for some person to be offended by someone else’s remarks. In this case, to be sure, the remarks were offensive:
The Police Service of Northern Ireland will investigate whether the wife of the province’s First Minister is guilty of a hate crime after she called homosexuality disgusting, loathsome, nauseating, wicked and vile.
Andrew Muir, the vice chair of Gay and Lesbian across Down, visited Bangor Police Station yesterday evening to report Mrs Iris Robinson MP for stirring up hatred and arousing fear as a result of her comments earlier that day on BBC Radio Ulster.
Couldn’t Mr. Muir have better spent his time requesting time on BBC Radio to take issue with Mrs. Robinson’s ignorant and intemperate remarks? But, to accuse her of a crime? Give me a break.
Commenting on a recent attack on Stephen Scott, a gay man, Mrs. Robinson “suggested that he should consider therapy to ‘cure’ him of his homosexuality.” Sounds like somebody’s trying to blame the victim for his assault. She even recommended a psychiatrist who could helped effect that “cure.” (The BBC has more on the Scott assault (via TowleRoad).
We don’t need any investigation to show that her comments are boorish, ignorant and narrow-minded. Hateful ignorance alone does not (or at least shouldn’t) amount to a hate crime. In this case, sensible people should castigate rather than have police investigate.
After all, wouldn’t it be a better use of the police’s time to investigate a real crime, that perpetrated against Stephen Scott, a man who suffered real injuries? If they’re investigating the narrow-minded wife of a politician, they would have fewer resources to devote to the investigation of this crime.
And while the police are investigating the violent crime, their real job, gay activists like Mr. Muir can do their job and stand up for gay people, particularly after such a prominent figure publicly misrepresented us.
It seems the police in Northern Ireland are doing more to investigate the ignorant remarks made by a politician’s wife than the Dutch police are doing to investigate the brutal beating of a gay man by a gang of Muslim thugs.
ADDENDUM: Mrs. Robinson’s husband, the First Minister of the Six Counties, “has said that he is committed to his legal obligations to fight discrimination.”
UPDATE: Over the Corner, a report on a the action of a “human rights’ tribunal” in Canada’s Alberta province where the Rev. Stephen Boissoin has been fined because he “wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper in Alberta condemning the “‘homosexual agenda.’” He has now been enjoined from making “disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals.”
Amazing. I disagree with what this guy has to say, but will defend his right to say it. How else can we counter such attitudes unless we know what anti-gay people are saying?
If poor old Iris were Muslim, she’d be in the clear.
He must mean fight discrimination against Muslims, nobody else counts these days.
“Mrs. Robinson’s ignorant and intemperate remarks”
Would the rant have sounded “mo’ better” if she had just stated the obvious…there are those of us who harbor moral, instinctive and hygienic resevations about homosexual CONDUCT.
Very interesting thoughts.
…but will defend his right to say it”. That is the issue in a nutshell. I lived through the sixties and witnessed the free speech movement and for the most part we believed that each and every one of us had a right to express and be heard. And the mantra was “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it”. What was being SAID wasn’t the ultimate point. That mattered but in a different context. What did matter was that people began to feel like they could express themselves. Unfortunately that has been lost, but not unretrievable. In some ways, we just have to start again.
Guess who gets to be the 21st century Fish Wife (skip ahead to 2:48 and then there’s this one)!!
Dan, until someone in either the UK or Canada (like Mark Steyn) finally stands up to this type of Politburo “thought crime” nonsense, you will continue to see it proliferating across the Continent.
Fortunately here in the USA, we have freedom of speech. Nobody has the freedom to be not offended.
My advice to oh-so-offended Mr. Muir: Suck it up, sunshine. Better to be gay in the UK and have people spew nonsense at you, rather than be hanged in the village square in the Middle East.
Wimp.
Regards,
Peter H.
You have the right to free speech but not the right to have it broadcast on the public airwaves. Offensive materials may be subject to the discretion of the operators. She is perfectly free to stand up on a soapbox and say anything she likes, just not at the public’s expense.
Elaygee, you raise an interesting point which gets at the problem of government-owned media.
I refer to comment no. 7 left by Peter H. Your attitude really stinks if you think that it is ok for people to make these kinds of comments about minority groups. It is precisely this kind of thing that these thugs hear as being justification for their actions. I don’t see anything fortunate about living in the United States, have you opened your eyes and looked around your Country? We are all entitled to freedom of speech except when that entitlement deeply offends others. You seem to lack the understanding needed to see how disgusting this act was based on Iris Robinson’s job within N. Ireland. I think you should take our lead, not make light of it. Rob N. Ireland.
#8 – “You have the right to free speech but not the right to have it broadcast on the public airwaves.”
OK, wiseacre. Then please explain how NPR works.
Checkmate.
Regards,
Peter H.
#11 – So much venom, so little time. But I digress. To wit:
“Your attitude really stinks if you think that it is ok for people to make these kinds of comments about minority groups.”
Oh, so you are an oppressed minority? You’ve been told to sit at the back of the bus? Have a separate drinking fountain? Not been accepted to your college of choice because of your sexual orientation?
Sorry – BZZZT. I’m calling bullshit on that one.
“It is precisely this kind of thing that these thugs hear as being justification for their actions.”
So in your words, it’s your own fault that people can ridicule you? How can that be, since it directly contradicts your first sentence. But then again, libtards don’t think – they feel. Which is why they make such rotten lawmakers in the first place.
Moving on (which is something most libtards don’t do):
“I don’t see anything fortunate about living in the United States, have you opened your eyes and looked around your Country?”
I would tell you to go pack your things and move if you didn’t like it, but since you live in Northern Ireland, it’s just as well that I didn’t. And frankly, I wouldn’t want to live in the UK either unless it was in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher.
And yes, dear – I have seen my country and given the DNC’s nominee, I fear for our future. However, we Americans pride ourselves on (mostly) recognizing the good things about our people and our resources, rather than blame us first.
Speaking of which – please let us know the next time there is a crisis in Ulster so we can REFUSE to send you aid. After all, we’re a bad nation.
“We are all entitled to freedom of speech except when that entitlement deeply offends others.”
#11 (con’t): Oops, hit the “Say It” button early. Continuing:
No, my dear Rob. Who is to say what offends whom? I could very easily say that your remarks are anti-conservative and anti-USA and therefore accuse you of a hate crime. Would that be fair to you? Of course not. Let me emphasize this so you don’t get it wrong: NOBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO NOT BE OFFENDED BY OTHERS.
After all, if that were the case, they would ban men in their 40s on up from wearing leather chaps on Gay Pride Day.
“You seem to lack the understanding needed to see how disgusting this act was based on Iris Robinson’s job within N. Ireland. I think you should take our lead, not make light of it.”
How was it disgusting? By merely voicing her opinion? Will you then tell vicars and pastors what NOT to say in their services if it conflicts with some people’s opinions? (Oops, bad analogy – that is already happening in Londonistan.)
And frankly, I am wary of any country, let alone the USA, “taking the lead” from any other nation on the Continent. If that were the case, you would be speaking German now and wondering where all the Jews went.
So much for bringing a knife to a gunfight. (Oh, wait – gun possession in the UK is outlawed. Silly me.)
Thank you for playing. We have nice parting gifts for you backstage.
Regards,
Peter H.
Holy, buckets! Batman!
Rob, you have DEEPLY OFFENDED me. I will try to figure out why sometime next week. In the meantime, you will kindly reorder your spoken words, take a mandatory diversity training session, and ready yourself to pay a large sum for my hurt feelings.
I love my country and you have made it impossible for me to be a proud citizen:
Now I am afraid to go out and look around. I had no idea I was in such peril. Could you give me pointers on the five most disgusting things I should keep an eye out for? I am counting on you for guidance that, of course, does not deeply offend me. (I, alone, am the judge of what deeply offends, so be careful.)
There is some truth in what Iris Robinson says. There have been many gay people who have had therapy to deal with their issues from childhood who have become re-orientated to heterosexuality. This does not mean that gay people ‘should’ do this. If they are happy with their orientation thats fine, but if someone is unhappy about their same sex attraction they should have access to the information that it is possible to change. Gay activists are threatened by this and are desperate to stop this possibility being discussed. I would recommend any person interested in this subject or struggling with same sex attraction to read Richard Cohen’s book ‘Coming out Straight’ or to log onto http://www.peoplecanchange.com web site or the NARTH web site to read about how people can be re-orientated to heterosexuality if they are motivated enough to work through the complex issues that, for some people, cause homosexual feelings. I have first hand experience of someone whose sexuality changed so I know what I am talking about. It has become politically incorrect for people to say what they think about homosexuality unless it is gay affirmative. This is wrong as we should be able to discuss this openly and enable people who are sometimes desperately unhappy to explore their feelings without pressure or prejudice, instead of the assumption ‘oh you must be gay’. People with SSA (same sex attraction) often become mentally ill because they are so conflicted with feelings that they do not want, which sometimes stem from childhood abuse.
By the way the Police have to record any incident where someone feels they have been offended by an incident involving race, religion, sexual orientation etc, but it is recorded as a Hate Incident not a Hate Crime. Hate Crime has to proved through the courts.