Pennsylvania Man Arrested for Quoting Bible at Gay Pride Event

[Chris]

Last time I checked, a non-political parade and rally isn't a protest.

Neither is quoting the Bible considered disruptive.

[blackjack21]

It is if it makes people feel uncomfortable or if they find it annoying.

People have a right to be safe in their persons and property. They do not have a right to not feel uncomfortable because others don't agree with them. In the instant case, there was no distruption and no threat of violence of any kind. The police just decided that because it was a government-sponsored event that it could use force to arrest a protester who was on the other side of the street--a very safe distance, and not using a bullhorn or anything else, which is also allowed.

How would you like it if some Muslim radical was screaming about infidels (meaning you) or if Black Hebrew Israelites were screaming the rather racist/sexist tenets of their faith at you?

It's immaterial. I don't have the right to file criminal charges unless they commit a crime. We routinely have people saying things here that are offensive. It doesn't rise to the level of a criminal complaint. As I said, you don't have freedom of speech in Canada. In the United States, you can hold and express racist views. Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members get to march here. You may not like it, but you don't get to arrest them because their views disturb the warm creamy feelings in your tummy. They have to do something that violates their rights.

The protester in this case was not violating anyone's rights. His comments were religious in nature, which are also protected speech.

If instead of one guy screaming scripture, you had twenty or thirty, would that still be fine? If someone obtains a permit for an event (for which they paid money), don't they have a right to conduct that event without all and sundry making a nuisance of themselves trying to spoil people's enjoyment of that event?

Well that's an interesting theory, because that's what the Unite the Right marchers did in Charlottesville, VA only to have the mayor and governor work to generate a counter protest. Since the first counter protest only resulted in Antifa types getting arrested, they let the Antifa types run amok during the second counter protest to the Unite the Right people, which resulted in many assaults, batteries on Unite the Right people with the police doing next to nothing and one woman getting run over by a man sympathetic to Unite the Right, possibly in retaliation, killing her. It seems that you have a very liberal set of standards for counterprotests where violence is encouraged by the left wing political class themselves, but when a peaceful Christian guy yells "God..." from a very safe distance, it's okey to arrest and charge him.

Christian activists seem to feel that their speech is never offensive or inappropriate.

Religious expression is protected by the constitution. Just because you find people believing in a power greater than themselves offensive doesn't mean you get to violate those constitutional protections.

That really depends on the loudness of the screaming. Suppose you're hosting a permitted tailgate party and someone like Atkins stands several feet away yelling a steady steam of scripture that your invited guests are now unable to avoid listening to, so they start leaving ... You can avoid looking at signs but when someone is yelling, you can't turn your ears off.

As long as they are a reasonable distance and they aren't doing things like making threats or inciting others to riot, it's protected speech, especially on public property.

[Thfan132]

I think he may have gone about this all wrong. A little looting and a couple of burnt out businesses will get you the leniency people are looking for.

[MisterVeritis]

Last time I checked, a non-political parade and rally isn't a protest.

A gay pride parade is a political event. Not that that is relevant. Protesting in-your-face $#@!ness IS a protest.

[Chuck]

Then you take it up with the mayor, hold a referendum or take a vote on whether it should be permitted.

Screw mayors; they have zero rights to arrest Christians for protesting sexual deviants and their shows of political influence. He was harming nobody.

[slackercruster]

Dems win again...

suck it up.jpg

[Chuck]

I was thinking that last night too, how quoting a Bible verse compares to the looting, setting fires, attacking police stations, and other violence of the summer of 2020.

Except Kamala Harris won't start a bail fund and the local courts won't dismiss charges against Christians like they will for racist thugs and deviants 'of color' who burn down police stations and Federal buildings and loot stores.

[Chris]

Except Kamala Harris won't start a bail fund and the local courts won't dismiss charges against Christians like they will for racist thugs and deviants 'of color' who burn down police stations and Federal buildings and loot stores.

I'm expecting changes to be dropped in this case too. He goes to court in a week.

[Tahuyaman]

Neither is quoting the Bible considered disruptive.

I guess it is if you do do it loud enough for people to hear you.

[Chris]

I guess it is if you do do it loud enough for people to hear you.

God forbid they hear it!