A decision in a case regarded as a bellwether in the developing
standoff between the right to free speech and so-called “hate crimes”
laws that punish “thoughts” or “perceptions” has arrived – and it
affirms the right of free speech.
The decision comes from the highest appeals court in Alberta. The
court week dismissed an appeal of a lower court decision that ruled
Pastor Stephen Boissoin was not liable to pay a $5,000 penalty and issue
an apology for a letter he wrote to the editor of a local newspaper.
WND previously reported Alberta adopted a “hate speech” law with promises the measure would be reserved for actions that accompany “hate speech.”
Boissoin’s letter to the Red Deer Advocate newspaper criticized those
who “in any way support the homosexual machine that has been
mercilessly gaining ground in our society since the 1960s.”
“Our children are being victimized by repugnant and premeditated
strategies, aimed at desensitizing and eventually recruiting our young
into their camps,” Boisson wrote. “Think about it, children as young as
five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and
physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the
public-school system. … Your teenagers are being instructed on how to
perform so-called safe same-gender oral and anal sex. … Come on people,
wake up!”
“Back Fired” shows how the faith that gave birth to tolerance is no longer tolerated!
His comments “offended” some, and he was brought to trial before a
human rights council, which ordered him to make the apology and pay
$5,000 to a professor who brought the complaint.
Now, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, the decision from the Alberta court likely signals an ultimate victory in the 12-year legal fight.
“Christians and other people of faith should not be fined or jailed
for expressing their political or religious beliefs. There is no place
for thought control in a free and democratic society,” said Gerald
Chipeur, one of more than 2,200 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending
Freedom, who served as counsel in the suit. “The tools of censorship
should not be available to prohibit freedom of religious expression in
Canada. The court rightly found that this type of religious speech is
not ‘hate speech.’”
READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment