comment 11 said on Sunday, 5 August 2007, 3:18pm

While I do not condone for one moment the activities of the mob that attacked Pete and his group from the National Front, it does seem somewhat foolhardy to go into a crowd of 100,000 and say something which all 100,000 would find extremely antagonistic - especially as it involved taking children with them.

For example, would you go to a football match, deliberately stand amongst the opposition's supporters and cheer when your team won and finally blame the police because you were attacked. It's not as if by being in Brighton the NF, or Christian Voice, would do anything to get the law changed - if that is what they genuinely wanted to do.

What Tatchell did in Moscow was similarly stupid but at least he was campaigning to get freedoms and not have them taken away from anyone.

comment 12 said by aboylikeme on Sunday, 5 August 2007, 5:44pm

This small group were not effectively policed in the slightest. The protestors arrived, and even before the police arrived a scuffle had started between the NF and some pride goers.

I was only metres away from the trouble, and it was terrifying, with one female member of the NF screaming obcenities at the crowd even after the police had arrived.

Surprisingly it was one of the pride spectators that got arrested and not the NF. Once the police did arrive they did thankfully break up the trouble, but if there had not been pride stewards on the scene straight away the situation could have been much worse, and people could have got seriously hurt.

comment 13 said by Pete, National Front. on Sunday, 5 August 2007, 7:37pm

I can say in total honesty that we did complain about the policing, and the complaints fell on deaf ears. It doesn't take a 500 IQ to work out that the designated area was totally unsuitable, and that they put us in real danger. Also two police were nowhere near enough, they wouldn't have been able to control the dozen of us, let alone the masses of hostile people who set upon us.

As is their nature, they will cover this up, after all they are the biggest bullies in town. Had my digital camera not been stolen, I would have more evidence available now. Unfortunately I will have to wait for one of our activists, (a seventy six year old man) to get his photo's developed.

It was more by luck than anyone else, that nobody was badly hurt. Had the worse happened, the police would have even more blood on their hands than they usually have.

comment 14 said by Nigel on Sunday, 5 August 2007, 7:46pm

As you know, members of the Brighton Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement invited mainstream Christian Churches (Anglican, RC, Methodist etc) to walk with us at Pride yesterday. We were delighted at the response, sometimes numbering up to 60 in our group, including clergy. We also had members of the Progressive Synagogue walking with us in solidarity. This is the first time in the Country that mainstream Christian Churches have walked in Pride. Judging by the cheers and appaluse we received all along the route, our presence was welcome and hopefully helped many people. Our group members were delighted to show that there are other Christian voices, than thiose expressed by Christian Voice and the like.

comment 15 said by john smith on Sunday, 5 August 2007, 9:37pm

The truth of the Bible stands and will always stand. Truth is truth regardless as to whether you believe it or not. With that in mind, as Christians we urge people to pick up the Bible for themselves, and hear the voice of the Lord God as He speaks divine truth, He alone stands as the Sovereign and Almighty God and has declared a moral standard that we as man should not violate or willingly reject.

A judgement is clearly documented in the text and God is clear that all those who willingly turn away from Him, He will turn from them, and will always and forever be away from His presense. Read the Gospel of John, read in private and be open to truth, and I pray that God will open your heart. Yesterday was a disgrace and we all need to repent and turn to the living God. Amen.

comment 16 said by Westhamandy on Monday, 6 August 2007, 1:00pm

It's the book of Leviticus that tells us that Homosexuality is wrong. But in the same place it also says that all men have to be circumcised and refrain from eating pork products. These instructions would apply to of all the Abrahamic religions, including Christianity.

Christ never spoke on these and so today most Christians eat bacon and ham and are not circumcised. No one says they sin.

So why the hang up over homosexuals? Maybe some have their own sexual problems? Do we really believe that if homosexuality was the sin that some "Christian" groups say it is that Christ would not have at some time passed judgement on homosexuals?

The truth of the matter is that he didn't. In fact Christ was prepared to contradict previously adopted concepts in Judaism. For example, in Matthew Chapter 5 v 38 he says that the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is wrong.

Get a life and remember - let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

comment 17 said by Robyn on Monday, 6 August 2007, 5:46pm

It is nice to see that everyone survived. Maybe those protesting can try to remember why pride marches occur.

Personally if I supported Arsenal I wouldn’t want to be holding up my colours outside the home supporters gates of the Tottenham ground when the home supporters are going in or coming out. For anyone to hide behind his or her children as a form of sanctuary is surely showing a high degree of child endangerment.

This is the 40th year of Gay relationships being allowed. Those in the LGBT communities face prejudice all their lives just because they want to be honest with themselves. The laws of our country reflect the wishes of its people. Sure you are allowed to protest and we are allowed to be who we are.

Any translation of the bible, IMHO, is biased towards the beliefs of the person who wrote it. For anyone who wishes to quote anything from the bible, can I suggest that first they learn the language in which the bible was originally written and then read the original text.

LGBT people occur throughout history in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their history is also dotted throughout this whole planet. Learn your history and study archaeology before spouting any false truths. Whilst the victors write history, archaeology reveals many facts that the NF and Christian Voice would do well to learn from.

Diversity is for everyone. We are all different. From my own experience those who object the loudest tend to have problems of their own that they have never dealt with because they are too afraid.

Being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans isn’t like catching the plague or catching a cold. It is something that just is. Unless you are, you will never know what it means to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans.

comment 18 said by Tony Butland on Monday, 6 August 2007, 11:59pm

I am gay and spent most of my early life in a very loud, very happy and very lively but most importantly, very loving evangelical Christian church. I struggled for years to become straight because that's what I thought God wanted for me. One day I realised that I'm actually special to Him because of who I am. My church still loved me, however, and never judged me or turned their back on me.

I'm thoroughly ashamed that Christian Voice use the word Christian in their title. I'm a Christian, but their views have more in common with the Nazis than they do with mine. The elderly people who were protesting on Saturday would do well to remember that they are being hypocritical when they so readily remind us that they fought for our freedom - yes, that very same freedom they and the Nazis and the Communists and the Taliban and Al Qaeeda would wish to deny us.

Being a Christian is about love - Christian Voice will read and say out loud that God is Love - but where was their love on Saturday? God's love was there at Preston Park, because He makes it clear 1000s and 1000s of times in the Bible that He loves each and everyone of us and when we love Him back, as I do, then that Love becomes very special.

How many sins do they commit on a daily basis? How many times do they judge somebody, think bad thoughts about people, break the 30 mile an hour spped limit, eat too much, fail to put somebody else's needs before their own? Guarantee their list is endless, so maybe I should stand outside their homes with banners - protesting.

The most ignorant banner I saw was the one carried by the old guy saying that his friend "became gay and died of AIDS" . I'm sure he'll never read this but I would suggest to him that he get his facts straight. The number of straight people on this planet with HIV vastly outnumbers the number of gay people. And I also suggest he does a bit of research on what it means to be gay. I tried in vain for years to become "ungay" - you can't change what or who you are - and I'm quite comfortable now saying that it's the way God made me and I know that He loves me and I have a special place in his heart. He loves the opressed - ironic that it's a group calling themselves Christian Voice who are the ones doing the oppressing.

The Bible also says that Christians should always follow and repsect the law of the land. Well, our laws give us the right to live honest, truthful lives where we can love and be happy - again - all things that the Bible tells us that each and everyone of us is entitled to. So, the law gives us what God intended for all his children. Christian Voice is wanting to voice its opinion against that law - so, you tell me - who's the sinner? We're living by the law - they're respecting neither us nor the law.

One final thing to LGBT people who read this who really have a problem with Christians because of bigotted and ignorant groups like Christian Voice - not all Christians are like them. Most are very loving people, who may have a different opinion on certain things, but good Christians will also respect diversity and difference - that's what God calls LOVE.

comment 19 said by Pride Goer on Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 10:31am

I was the Pride Goer that got arrested that weekend for breaking one of your signs... and I will tell you why... I have absolutely NO problem in anyone having a silent protest however when your little crew of people want to start shouting and swearing at us then don't expect all gays to run away screaming.

What you said to my friend was BANG out of order... Get AIDS and die you dirty gays... now I would normaly laugh this off but my friend who actually has AIDS took offence to this and was very upset... so all I did was take your sign down stating that. You were the ones trying to hit me with sticks and punch... you're just lucky I didn't get a chance to hit back before I was arrested.

Next time you have your protests just do as you're allowed to do - and have a silent one.

And I am sorry - don't use children as a shield next time... it is pathetic. If you hate gays so much why put them in front of them to watch?

comment 20 said by Adrian on Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 1:47pm

I saw the protest on Saturday and it is as the person who was arrested stated. It was not a "silent protest" but was an attempt to confront - and that is what they got. It made me proud to be gay to see my fellows not turn and hide in shame but to confront these nasty people.

As for the Christian Voice outside the park... Well I thought all the weirdos would be in the park! I wonder if the Police would allow me to stand outside Buckingham Palace and shout at the Queen, Head of The Church of England, telling her to die of AIDS?