MANCHESTER City Councillor Pat Karney is calling for Christian Voice protestors to be banned from future gay pride events in the city after a group of the nutters reportedly “disrupted” his year’s parade at the weekend.
Disrupted? Oh please! How on earth can a sad bunch of around 20 delusional loons disrupt an event as huge as Manchester gay pride?
Loopy Christians at this year's Manchester Pride event. Click on pic for a report of the celebrations
According to the Manchester Evening News, council chiefs were outraged by the presence of  the barmy, placard-waving demonstrators who gathered outside the John Rylands Library on Deansgate as more than 100 floats – celebrating Greater Manchester’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trangender communities – went past.
The group was largely drowned out by the whistle-blowing crowd of thousands – and Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen gave them an ironic wave as he led the procession of 100 floats.
But town hall bosses believe the protesters overstepped the mark. They now plan to work with police to see whether anti-hate laws can be used to ban similar scenes at Pride next summer.
Pat Karney, the council’s city centre spokesman, said such protests had no place in Manchester.
I will be meeting organisers and police to make sure that next year people are not subject to these vile, hate-filled rantings.
He added:
This is 2010, not 1950, and young gay men and women should not be subjected to this hatred. We have a proud history in Manchester of freedom of speech but there is no place for this. I am a Christian and I believe that these people are a terrible advert for Christianity. There are things we can do using hate laws to make sure they do not come back.
Members of the protest were filmed shouting “sinful” and “wicked” at people taking part in the parade.
Of course they did. It’s their job to prod their noses into gatherings of this sort – and Pride events would be all the poorer for not having these twats around. Each time these sorry losers emerge from under their rocks they demonstrate how effectively religion poisons everything – and the atheist count goes up several notches.
The suggested ban was described as a “major assault on freedom of speech” by Christian Voice’s Stephen “Birdshit” Green.
It is a very sad day for this country when the authorities want to clamp down on the teachings of the Gospel.
Those leaving comments beneath the Evening News report appear overwhelmingly against a ban. One of the best comments came from Elljay:
Why ban the small minded, ignorant bigots? They only show themselves up. I find it highly amusing that such pathetic people can stand on the streets in full view of thousands of others who are enjoying the day and spout their vitriol – are they any nearer to heaven by doing so?
I wonder if any of them ever ask themselves if the nurse/police officer/doctor/teacher/paramedic treating them, providing care, protecting them etc etc is gay? Would they then have the ‘balls’ to spout their beliefs? Or to refuse care from a ‘sinner’?
As the mother of a gay man I know he would just laugh in their faces, and I know he, his partner and all his friends had a fantastic weekend at Pride 2010. Pride 2010? No, I’m proud EVERY year of the wonderful, caring and fantastic man I am fortunate enough to call my son!!!
A poll on the paper’s website shows that 79 percent of people do not believe that demos of this sort should be banned.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 1st, 2010 at 9:44 am
I don’t see the harm in letting the xians carry on. So long as the views they express don’t incite others to violence, banning them is unfair. I wouldn’t advocate banning anything just because I disagree or dislike it. I wonder sometimes if the law has gone too far.
The Christian Voice activists in Barry’s pic look like a bunch of nerds waving their placards written in archaic language. I’m surprised they don’t get invited to more events with their humorous sideshow.
Maybe each carnival could have a Stephen Green float and applause for the man himself if he turns up. He’d be more upset and embarrassed than when that gull bombed him.
September 1st, 2010 at 9:54 am
These people certainly benefit the cause of atheism more effectively than a whole deluge of Dawkins documentaries. Never thought I’d be agreeing with Stephen Batshit Green, but he’s on the money here. Let these bigots try to rain on the parade, in full view of critical public scrutiny.
September 1st, 2010 at 9:54 am
Obsessed with homosexuality, as ever!
The strange thing is that “Bible believers” keep banging on about how God doesn’t classify sins, so that all sin is equal in his eyes, and then get in such a tizzy over things like homosexuality. And as for the “effeminate” being cast into hell – do they not realize how stupid this makes them look? (Rhetorical question!)
September 1st, 2010 at 10:39 am
I think they have the look of people who are pissed off because they have not been invited to the party.
However, I would not ban them. Free speech is being eroded at an astonishing rate and I for one, no matter how wrong or offensive with current thinking, would allow them the opportunity to spout their nonsense. They have as much right to their views as do we.
But it’s good to see the love in their eyes!
September 1st, 2010 at 10:40 am
Don’t silence these people; they look as if they hardly ever go out during the daytime. Let them bask in the sun-shine, or rain and people’s attention. After all, they may be heading for extinction. I’m sure that Jesus would share our thoughts on this one.
September 1st, 2010 at 10:47 am
I find the views of these people horrific but that is no reason to ban them. I’ve no doubt that they would find my views equally horrific. Just because we do not agree is no reason to ban free speech. If they are not inciting violence then I cannot see any justification in a ban. Anyway, as everyone else has already pointed out, they are a very good advert for atheism (and a bloody good laugh as well).
September 1st, 2010 at 11:18 am
If someone wants to parade down the street only because they prefer one gender’s genitalia over the other gender’s genitalia, I have no problems with people standing around saying that their sky fairy does not like it.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Censorship causes blindness. We must allow the bigots to show their stupidity because it damages them, not us.
September 1st, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Like most of you, I agree these people should not be banned so long as they obey the rules.
Their aid in convincing others how stupid they are, is better then any argument we could give. They clearly demonstrate their udder lack of understanding of the buyBull or its innate stupidity.
And being able to walk past them, point and laugh is much better then having them sitting in hiding and scheming.
Their religion & g0d could care less about the gays, it is only the fact they are very small minded bigots with such little value in their own ‘man-ness’ that makes them feel so insecure when seeing the gay. Their deep seated fear of sex and their own sexuality and orientation terrorizes them.
September 1st, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Let them say what they want. Seems to me free speech is indivisible. They think free speech is what they want to say. Anything contrary is blasphemy. Much of their ignorant frothing at the mouth, backed up by these daft placards, has a perverse entertainment value.
I think it was Robert Mitchum who, when asked before a crowd of journalists, if anything was off the record answered, “No, make up anything you want.”
September 1st, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Let them have their say and show their narrow mindedness.
September 1st, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Freedom of speech means that the bible bashers get to stand in the street spouting their bollocks as well and like it’s been said before it only damages them not us.
I often see the zion baptist church spouting their bollocks in glasgow at the weekends and on some other days too and I just ignore tthem as they don’t approach me, unlike the fucking hare krishnas who can’t take no for an answer.
If you people haven’t heard of pastor jack glass before go do a search if you dare, ian Paisley described jack glass as being a bit of an extremist though thats the pot calling the kettle black.
September 1st, 2010 at 6:04 pm
The most effectively opposite position to these people is to support all freedom of speech.
Also, Mel Brooks understood it best with the Nazis; you don’t ban them, or you give them a reason to be outraged; you don’t persecute them the way they would you, or you create martyrs; you stand them out in front of everyone and mock them, mercilessly. “Springtime for Hitler” is still one of my favorite songs ever.
September 1st, 2010 at 6:49 pm
I agree that censoring these people is a bad idea. I can’t think that they bother the people on the pride march, most of whom I would expect to just point and laugh. Let these people make fools of themselves and of the more tolerant Christians who are then forced to explain away the unpleasantness in their Bible.
Consensual sex, of whatever kind, between adults does no harm to anyone and gives great pleasure to the participants so logically that is good. Persecuting a minority for no good reason causes much harm and unhappiness so logically that is evil. Woe then to the woman in the blue jacket.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:41 am
Karney is just pissed because he’s a christian and shares the same label as these guys. I would have thought marching past these sad billynomates would have added to the occasion.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:39 am
What a healthy, productive bunch the xians look in the photo. That lovely grey palour, well kept hair, groovy up to the minute clothing. These people are the best selling point for Athiesm. Anybody considering subscribing to their particular belief system would have to think twice on seeing these gorgeous representatives of religidiocy.
September 2nd, 2010 at 12:59 pm
@Robster
That black fellah on the right made me laugh. Why wear a badly-fitting sandwich board if you lose your anorak? I once drove fifty miles for a meeting and discovered on arrival I was still wearing green garden clogs. For just a fiver I was able to get something more appropriate in Tesco.