GLAMOROUS grannie Pauline Howe, 67, is a “committed Christian”. Consequently, like so many of her ilk, she has a problem with homosexuals.
In objecting to a gay pride event in Norwich, she referred to gays as “sodomites” and blamed their “perverted sexual practice” for sexually transmitting diseases as well as the “downfall of every Empire”.
The woman is clearly gaga – but does her homophobia, which, incidentally, she denies, warrant police attention?
Pauline Howe: A sweet exterior masks her irrational hatred of gays
Gay equality group Stonewall thinks not, saying that a visit to her home by police, who warned her that she may have committed a “hate crime” when she wrote to Norwich council objecting to the pride event, had been “disproportionate”.
I could not agree more. Apart from trivialising genuine cases of hate crime – and goodness knows there’s more than enough of that sort of thing going on in the UK – it feeds the myth that Christians are becoming a persecuted minority, and gives crackpot organisations like the Christian Institute yet another an opportunity to call “foul” and wring their hands in public.
According to The Telegraph, which thrives on this sort of story, Howe – after voicing her objection to Norwich Council – received a reply from the council’s deputy chief executive, Bridget Buttinger, warning that she could face being charged with a criminal offence for expressing such views.
As a local authority we have a duty along with other public bodies to eliminate discrimination of all kinds. A hate incident is any incident that is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hatred. A hate crime is any hate incident that constitutes a criminal offence. The content of your letter has been assessed as potentially being hate related because of the views you expressed towards people of a certain sexual orientation.
She added:
Your details and details of the content of your letter have been recorded as such and passed to the Police.
Officers from Norfolk constabulary who questioned Mrs Howe in her home told her that her opinions were regarded as a hate incident and had caused offence. However, they decided that no crime had been committed.
A spokesman for the force defended the decision to send officers to Mrs Howe’s home.
If it has come into our intelligence and been reported to us as a crime then we have to investigate. Therefore it was part of a routine check-up. We went around and spoke to the individual.
We talked about inappropriate comments and the effects they can have on people. We believe that this response is proportionate and the individual is aware of her actions.
Said Howe:
I’ve never been in any kind of trouble before so I was stunned to have two police officers knocking at my door. Their presence in my home made me feel threatened. It was a very unpleasant experience.
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, criticised the police’s action:
Clearly her views are pretty offensive, but nevertheless this is disproportionate. I’m glad Norfolk police didn’t take it any further.
Howe then scuttled off to the Christian Institute, which is now investigating whether the council and the police have breached Mrs Howe’s rights to free speech and religious liberty under the Human Rights Act.
Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Institute, said:
Whether people agree or disagree with Mrs Howe’s views, everyone who cares about freedom should be alarmed at the police action. For democracy to survive people must be free to express their beliefs – yes, even unpopular beliefs – to government bodies without fear of a knock at the door from the police. It’s not a crime to be a Christian, but it increasingly feels like it.
Hat Tip: Stuart W
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Well a fine bunch of 21st century loonies all around! What can one say about this woman’s views? However they were expressed to the council in writing not to the public at large in some incitement to assault gays, so how does this become a “hate incident”? Whether one likes it or not Mrs. Howe has a right to hold her unfortunate views and to express them. Gross overreaction from both council and police shows just how far the nanny state has come. If the council didn’t have better sense you’d think the police might, or at least would have better things to do. Does nobody have a waste bin anymore?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Typical of policing these days. Members of the public are expected to forward everything to the police and let them decide if it’s worth pursuing, the police just assume if people send them things they must be worth pursuing, nobody uses any judgement at any stage.
The same thing happens when churches make complaints about dirty atheists not liking their cookies and the police just investigate that too.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
The council overreacted and the police should not have gone along with it, yet there is still more than a whiff of hypocrisy from Mrs Howe. Clearly, the pious pensioner’s belief in freedom, which she sweetly sighs about in the Christian Institute video, does not extend to that of ‘sodomites’. She objected to people expressing themselves with an annual parade just because it did not revolve around her religion.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I became intrigued last year by the way these obscure stories and sad individuals magically make their way to the top of the news, so I’ve been doing some digging.
Atheists should be aware that the Telegraph and Mail, having cut their staff to skeleton crews and being incapable of finding a story if it bit them in the balls, are buying in their ‘oppressed Christian’ stories from a single agency.
It is run by an individual who acts as ‘press officer’ for both Christian Concern for Our Nation and the Christian Legal Centre (or whatever Mad Dog Williams is calling herself this week)in addition to doing PR work for the breakaway Anglican group which Nazir-Ali hopes to be ‘invited’ to lead at some point.
I understand he gets some sort of percentage on the number of hits, so my advice would be don’t click, and let a ragbag collection of sad acts die unwanted.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Well done Stuart H, excellent bit of information.
All of the parties involved in this story have shown themselves to be rather stupid. Mrs Howe has shown everyone that she is religious bigot, the Police as time-wasters and the council – who could have just written a reply to Mrs Howe – as imbeciles.
Shame the plod didn’t didn’t put as much effort into catching the scumbags that burgled my business of few years back.
Just heard on the wireless that last night a gay man was attacked by a mob – thanks Mrs Howe.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
The only hate crime I can see here is against this poor Christian lady who was merely exercising her faith.
Verbally and even physically attacking Homosexuals is not just her way of expressing her religion but it’s also something commanded by God.
Does this mean that our congregation can’t follow through with our planned witnessing to the Hellbound Homersexuals in Norwich this weekend?
How will they know that they’re going to Hell if we don’t TELL them?
October 26th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Stuart H. I agree with Angela that this is an insight into the way The Mail works. What I knew before is that many print newspapers are being driven out of business by the advent of on-line publishing. The Mail, that supposed terror of the political types, may be suffering and I hope so.
As for the glamorous granny: let her say what she likes. Free speech is free speech.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
The Mail seems to have picked up on something which the Torygraph missed. The bigot’s husband is a Baptist minister! Sorry to rain on everyone’s “free speech” parade, but there’s more to this story than meets the eye!!
(PS Nice to hear that the old bag’s “not homophobic”, though!!!)
October 26th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I wonder if it’s purely a coincidence that “Mrs Howe” rhymes with “batty old homophobic cow”.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
“A baptist Minister” is he? The plot thickens or perhaps curdles.. Might get a few more in the congregation on Sunday? Wonder what Mr Howe’s views are.
I wonder what Mrs Howe thinks of that deeply devout Christian Nick Griffin? Nick shares some of her views. There isn’t a hell of a lot of tolerance, forgiveness and the rest of the Christian “virtues” amongst this lot.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Does she look like the sort of person who would be “frightened” by the police? I think she had a pretty shrewd idea of the sort of response her letter would elicit, and the council and the local police fell right into the trap. And how very convenient that the Christian Institute should be on hand once again to champion her cause! This wasn’t a little old lady exercising her right to “free speech”, but a malignant old crone stirring up mischief and hoping to be painted as the “victim” again!!
Thanks for that snippet, Stuart H. Investigative reporting died in this country years ago. Much of the “news” that is published now consists of press releases and publicity handouts. “Overseas correspondents” also died out decades ago, and “foreign news” is now purchased from agencies, or gleaned from foreign papers. I know from personal experience, too, that very few of the “facts” are actually checked!
October 26th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Bubblecar –
It might rhyme, but it definitely don’t scan.
Sister Talitha, you are to be commended for bringing to the attention of these poor wretches the error of their ways, and the horrible fate that awaits them as a result of the LORD’s ineffable, boundles love for them.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
What, some bunch of PC-loving socialist traitors such as Stonewall talking sense??? Will wonders never cease?
October 27th, 2009 at 3:25 am
Christians like that should be “committed”.
October 27th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Buffy said:
Christians like that should be “committedâ€.
We very often are dear.
October 27th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Yes – I was a committed Christian once, too!
October 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk.....-25016306/
October 27th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
This reminds me very much of the comments on the Guardian website about that foul journalist who said Stephen Gateley’s death was not natural because he was gay. She was called ugly and mentally ill. The “c” word was used. Someone said they hoped she got breast cancer.
I am sick to death of people who imagine they are fair-minded liberals jeering at their opponents in this brainless way. If she was young and beautiful, would it be OK? Fighting homophobia with gerontophobia and misogyny is beyond witless: it puts you absolutely and unequivocally on the side of the bigots. You are as bad as them.
Christianity is irrational prejudice. What is sniggering at women because they’re old – reasoned debate?
I thought atheism meant freedom from old and stupid prejudices. Thank you for showing me I was wrong. Think I’ll leave you flawlessly lovely young people to it. Going to wash my hands now.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
They learn young, don’t they, rog?
October 28th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
It would appear that the goal of the modern police force is to meet government targets without having to tackle anyone who might actually prove dangerous. It would also appear to me that Pauline Howe is the ideal candidate, effectively harmless but a stranger to any kind of political correctness and therefore an enemy of the state.
Personally I am sick to death of those who pay lip service to free speech and then persecute people for saying things that they don’t like. Why not just give her the right to talk like an idiot and give the rest of us the right to point and laugh? Surely that is what free speech really means.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Well, Catlady141, I’m nearly as old as her, so let me spell it out again, she’s a homophobic old haridan! Got that?
And I still haven’t changed my opinion, Stonyground, that this wasn’t all orchestrated by the bitch and her doubtless sweet and reasonable, evangelical husband. (Whether the Christian Institute were in on it from the start is a moot point, but I’d love to know!)
October 28th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
barry, I can’t say that the religious world view inspired those little bastards, but surely the attitudes expressed by the woman in the article and those of her ilk create a climate where such acts are more likely.
October 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
The Christian Institute are creaming their Y-fronts over on Youtube. Three videos about the old dear already.
http://www.youtube.com/user/christianorguk
October 29th, 2009 at 12:23 am
It was reported in the metro she was also handing out leaflets at the event.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I thought everyone was aware of that fact, rog! She had been “witnessing” with a bunch of other Cretins at the parade, and didn’t like some of the things that were said to her – surprise, surprise!! (She was telling THEM what she thought about their “disgusting” behaviour, though, in no uncertain terms: a “public display of such indecency on the streets of Norwich which was so offensive to God and to many Norwich residents”, believe it or not!) She also claimed that she had been “pushed”, which isn’t entirely unusual when trying to distribute offensive literature, and shout invective in the ears of people, in a largs crowd!
I would just love to know where “darling hubby” fits in to all this, as I smell an enormous rat here! I have been unable to unearth details of his benefice in Norfolk, as I was hoping to ascertain HIS views on “homosexuals”. I bet they are no less extreme, but I have a feeling that she is being put forward as the “patsy” here. I still think that the whole thing was a set-up, and the council fell for it hook, line, and sinker. She is not the naive little granny that she makes out!
There is more news on this site, and some very well-written observations:
http://freestudents.blogspot.c.....-fool.html
http://freestudents.blogspot.c.....bigot.html
However, I have to warn readers of a nervous disposition that these “students” are far from polite about the old… I mean dear, sweet lady!!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Barriejohn – you might get a few clues about ‘darling hubby’ by listening to the dopey bastard – sorry I mean mentally challenged gentleman of questionable heritage – in his own words.
So try this for a start
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=52206165043
October 29th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Halellujah! How did you find that, Stuart?
First headline I read:
Christian Cop Forced Out Of Job For Homosexuality Stand
Fucking lying, hypocritical, manipulative Christian bigots!!
RESULT!!!
October 29th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I know you’re very busy, Barry, sorting out the Christmas dildos, etc, but can’t we have an update on this story now, as it’s obviously been a tissue of lies right from the start, and this vile woman needs exposing for what she really is (the Daily Mail aren’t going to do it, after all!). She and her lovely husband quite clearly thrive on the oxygen of publicity, so why not give them what they crave? It would be the Christian thing to do!