Arrest for 'gay' horse jibe is absurd, says Tatchell

Anthony Butcher · 12-06-2005, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Police officers who arrested a student for calling a police horse "gay" have been accused of "absurd heavy-handedness and over-reaction" by a leading campaigner for homosexual rights.

Peter Tatchell of the pressure group Outrage! said that the arrest of Sam Brown, a student at Oxford University, "brought the police service INTO phpbb_disrepute".

Mr Brown, 21, a student at Balliol College, was arrested for causing harassment, alarm or distress and fined £80 after asking a mounted police officer if he knew that his horse was homosexual.

The student made the remark during a night out in Oxford where he was celebrating completing his English Literature degree.

Mr Tatchell, who has handcuffed himself to Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, in his campaign for homosexual rights, accused the police of grossly wasting their time and resources. "The police are not doing nearly enough to halt genuine violence against gay people and yet they waste their time on this absurd arrest," he said.

"Gay people do not need this kind of bizarre protection from the police and it risks creating a homophobic backlash."

Mr Tatchell also called on Thames Valley Police to issue a full apology to Mr Brown and rescind charges against him.

The undergraduate had approached two mounted policemen in the city centre after leaving a bar where he had been drinking with friends. He was then handcuffed and taken to a police station where he was given a fixed penalty notice after spending the night in a cell.

"The whole thing is absolutely absurd," said Mr Brown. "There were about six police officers and a whole load of patrol cars. I will be speaking to a solicitor to see how I can overturn the ruling."

Remember, if you swear or insult a policeman you are now committing a crime. If you do the same to anyone else, you are not. Britain now has two classes of citizen.

mkpdavies · 12-06-2005, 02:51 AM

Totally and utterly wrong and ludicrous in this instance.

Of course there is a fine line between threatening behaviour and flippant use of the language. Zero tollerance will suggest being punished for it though. You don't want little brats abusing the police with impunity do you. Same should be afforded to the rest of the public though, but common sense HAS to be a factor here.

Continued swearing abuse to anyone should result in community service.

Calling a horse gay isn't worthy of anything other than a laugh.

Anthony Butcher · 12-06-2005, 02:56 AM

What worries me is that numerous times, watching those dreadful fly on the wall programmes about the police, we see the police arresting people for doing nothing more than being cheeky. Often the police themselves create the situation by not walking away and provoking people.

12-06-2005, 05:18 AM

Good for Tatchell!

Quote:

"Gay people do not need this kind of bizarre protection from the police and it risks creating a homophobic backlash."

Spot on!

It is PC tyranny that causes the major problems.

Christina

Alex McKee · 12-06-2005, 06:05 AM

Quote:

"Gay people do not need this kind of bizarre protection from the police and it risks creating a homophobic backlash."

This guy is spot on. If there were more people that thought like that the country wouldn't be going down the drains.

Donna · 12-06-2005, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Butcher

Remember, if you swear or insult a policeman you are now committing a crime. If you do the same to anyone else, you are not. Britain now has two classes of citizen.

Anthony,

sorry, but there are clearly five classes of citizen. You mention two, but what about straight horses, gay horses, and also in this case, the opposite to the front end of a horse!

Thames Valley Police. Bless 'em. You have got to admire (?) any bunch of coppers who have the guts to drive around in motors with the idiotic words "Reducing crime, disorder, and fear" emblazoned on their sides. Oh, I forgot. I have a house there. They are my police force.

ops:

Best,
Donna

FuroraCeltica · 12-06-2005, 03:30 PM

I don't have any time for Tatchell. He's got a long history of anti-church activities, like when he invaded the Easter Sunday service, manhandling the then Archbishop of Canterbury. He performed a similar stunt when he disrrupted a service at the Catholic cathedral.

Tatchell et al also stood outside St Martin in the Fields church in London, and protected by a ring of police, read out at the top of their lungs the disgusting poem "The Love that Dare not Speak its name", which describes Jesus being involved in a number of vivid gay sex acts. He claimed this was to challenge the blasphemy law; but if he wanted to do that, couldn't he have just written to his MP? Couldn't he have gotten a petition together? And if he REALLY just had to read the poem out, couldn't he have done it at a poetry reading and not outside a church?

I don't particularly care if Tatchell is right about this horse non-incident, because his anti-Christian record goes before him.

Alex McKee · 12-06-2005, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuroraCeltica

I don't have any time for Tatchell. He's got a long history of anti-church activities, like when he invaded the Easter Sunday service, manhandling the then Archbishop of Canterbury. He performed a similar stunt when he disrrupted a service at the Catholic cathedral.

Tatchell et al also stood outside St Martin in the Fields church in London, and protected by a ring of police, read out at the top of their lungs the disgusting poem "The Love that Dare not Speak its name", which describes Jesus being involved in a number of vivid gay sex acts. He claimed this was to challenge the blasphemy law; but if he wanted to do that, couldn't he have just written to his MP? Couldn't he have gotten a petition together? And if he REALLY just had to read the poem out, couldn't he have done it at a poetry reading and not outside a church?

I don't particularly care if Tatchell is right about this horse non-incident, because his anti-Christian record goes before him.

Didn't know all that but a quick google search has taught me not to be so hasty in proclaiming him a new saint

Roger Gough · 13-06-2005, 12:36 PM

Whoa!!! Did you see the article itself? It carried a photo of the student alongside a head and neck shot of a horse with it's eyes blacked out so that it couldn't be identified.

Classic.

John Carter · 13-06-2005, 12:46 PM

Tatchell is unique in being the only person in the country to make me agree with one of Mugabe's actions. Namely, letting his thugs beat Tatchell INTO phpbb_the gutter when Tatch tried to perform a citizen's arrest on him for gay rights violations.

I don't approve of violence, but that had me clapping. Sorry.

12-06-2005, 02:51 AM	#2 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 31,158 Party: Libertarian Party	Totally and utterly wrong and ludicrous in this instance. Of course there is a fine line between threatening behaviour and flippant use of the language. Zero tollerance will suggest being punished for it though. You don't want little brats abusing the police with impunity do you. Same should be afforded to the rest of the public though, but common sense HAS to be a factor here. Continued swearing abuse to anyone should result in community service. Calling a horse gay isn't worthy of anything other than a laugh. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

12-06-2005, 03:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
FuroraCeltica Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Manchester Posts: 448	I don't have any time for Tatchell. He's got a long history of anti-church activities, like when he invaded the Easter Sunday service, manhandling the then Archbishop of Canterbury. He performed a similar stunt when he disrrupted a service at the Catholic cathedral. Tatchell et al also stood outside St Martin in the Fields church in London, and protected by a ring of police, read out at the top of their lungs the disgusting poem "The Love that Dare not Speak its name", which describes Jesus being involved in a number of vivid gay sex acts. He claimed this was to challenge the blasphemy law; but if he wanted to do that, couldn't he have just written to his MP? Couldn't he have gotten a petition together? And if he REALLY just had to read the poem out, couldn't he have done it at a poetry reading and not outside a church? I don't particularly care if Tatchell is right about this horse non-incident, because his anti-Christian record goes before him. __________________ Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption. John Stuart Mill One person with a belief is equal to ninety-nine who have only interests. Stuart Mill

13-06-2005, 12:46 PM	#10 (permalink)
John Carter Uber Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: On Sabbatical Posts: 5,110	Tatchell is unique in being the only person in the country to make me agree with one of Mugabe's actions. Namely, letting his thugs beat Tatchell INTO phpbb_the gutter when Tatch tried to perform a citizen's arrest on him for gay rights violations. I don't approve of violence, but that had me clapping. Sorry. __________________ There are three kinds of people in this world: Libertarians, fascists, and those who haven't been paying attention.

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12-06-2005, 02:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
Anthony Butcher Administrator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Long Ashton, Bristol Posts: 10,205 Party: None	What worries me is that numerous times, watching those dreadful fly on the wall programmes about the police, we see the police arresting people for doing nothing more than being cheeky. Often the police themselves create the situation by not walking away and provoking people.

13-06-2005, 12:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
Roger Gough Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hotel California Posts: 708	Whoa!!! Did you see the article itself? It carried a photo of the student alongside a head and neck shot of a horse with it's eyes blacked out so that it couldn't be identified. Classic.