What does the Islamic world and Europe have in common? There are actually many similarities, but one is this: in neither place are Christians allowed to fully express their beliefs without fear of persecution.

As for Eurasia, its Ministry of Truth"s latest handiwork is the arrest and punishment of an American street preacher who dared speak of sin in that land once known as Scotland. The victim is 47-year-old New Yorker Shawn Holes, who was on a UK tour when he was arrested in Glasgow after running afoul of UK hate-speech laws. Writes  Pink News:

He said that while preaching, a number of gay couples stopped to listen and asked him about his views, which he said seemed like a "set-up".

€¦When asked about his views on homosexuality, Holes said: "Homosexuals are deserving of the wrath of God " and so are all other sinners " and they are going to a place called hell."
For this Oldspeak transgression, Holes" arrest was followed by the imposition of a £1,000 fine, which is a harsher penalty than even some Britons who commit violent crimes must endure.

I"ve  said much  about "hate speech" laws over the years, and I won"t rehash the old arguments except to again point out that all hate-crime law is an attempt at thought control. Instead, I"m going to point out another bias relating to this situation and others like it.

At a UK blog called Harry"s place, writer Peter Tatchell defends Holes,  saying, "[ I ]n a democratic, free society it is wrong to prosecute him. Criminalisation is not appropriate." Yet he also takes pains to polish up his politically correct credentials and writes, "Mr  Holes is obviously homophobic and should not be insulting people with his anti-gay tirades. He should be challenged and people should protest against his intolerance." And this attitude is reflected in the title of Tatchell"s piece: "Freedom of speech must be defended €¦ even for homophobes."

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