Anti-gay Phelps clan banned from UK

Christian homobigots Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper had planned to come to England and protest a performance of The Laramie Project, an award-winning play about the brutal murder of Matthew Shepherd.  But their plans were foiled by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who has now barred them from entering the country. 

A UK Border Agency spokesman told reporters: "The Home Secretary has excluded both Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from the UK.  Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behavior by inciting hatred against a number of communities.  The Government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms.  We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country."

From The Independent:  Phelps, 79, and his daughter Shirley, 51, belong to the US Westboro Baptist Church based in Kansas which calls for homosexuals to be killed.  Its members, mostly Phelps's relatives, regularly picket US soldiers' funerals as the sect believes their deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are punishment for America's tolerance of gays... It follows the ban on Dutch MP Geert Wilders entering the UK last week for his extremist views on Islam.  Peter Tatchell, from gay rights group OutRage!, said: "The Phelps are odious, homophobic bigots. They give Christianity a bad name.  Objectionable though they are, I don't agree with them being banned but since the Home Secretary banned the Dutch MP Geert Wilders at least she is being consistent by also banning these Christian preachers of hate."

From the UK Telegraph:  They had announced that they would picket the play, which is due to be held at a school arts centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on Friday.  But the pair will now be stopped by immigration officials if they arrive and placed straight on a flight back to the US...  Fred Phelps has also described the Prophet Mohammed as a "demon-possessed whoremonger" and once said Catholics were part of the "church of the holy paedophiles."

So far, the Phelps clan has not issued a statement about the travel ban on its website, God Hates Fags.  Their most recent blog post is titled, predictably:  The Brushfires In Australia Came Directly From God's Hand Because Of Their Grievous Filthy Sins.  Apparently an Australian Christian group had written to Phelps asking him to tone down this rhetoric about that country.  (As if.)   True to form, the Westboro preacher responded to this polite request with invective that would make a Portuguese sailor blush.  Or Sally Kern.

Comments

[Gaina]

Wow, Jaqui Smith did something right! I bet this won't get into the UK press though, or at least not with the same column inches currently devoted to her expenses row. Don't you just love that about the press? They decide someone is there 'villain' then stick to that line, even when they do something they should be congratulated for, like standing up against ignorance in this case.

[SISTER IN CHRIST]

IT ABSOLUTELY AMAZES ME THAT YOU CLAIM TO BE FOLLOWING GOD'S WILL!!! It is He who will judge, and He who will condemn, and He whom we will answer to, NOT YOU!! JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGE. HAVE YOU SEEN THAT IN THE BIBLE AMONGST ALL OF YOUR QUOTES AND RAMBLINGS???? HATE THE SIN, NOT THE SINNER IS ALSO IN THE BIBLE, HAVE YOU SEEN THAT??? WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AND TEACH OUR BROTHER/SISTER NOT CALL THEM FOOLS AND SAY THAT GOD HATES THEM!!! VENGEANCE IS THE LORD'S NOT YOURS!!!!!

[SISTER IN CHRIST]

MY PREVIOUS COMMENT WAS MEANT FOR THE PHELPS CLAN