Cary Gee: Homophobic hate crime and lack of legal protection

WAKING up to be told that someone wants you dead is never a pleasant way to begin your day. But that is exactly the news that greeted me when I woke to hear the headlines on Radio 4’s Today programme. Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary would like to see me stoned to death. It’s nothing personal, you understand, he just hates queers. I’m not too keen on religious maniacs who rave from the periphery, but that’s not quite the same as wanting to kill them. Does my magnanimity make me a better person than Choudary? No, but it makes me a better neighbour and isn’t that what religion is supposed to be about?

by Tribune Web Editor
Sunday, March 29th, 2009

WAKING up to be told that someone wants you dead is never a pleasant way to begin your day. But that is exactly the news that greeted me when I woke to hear the headlines on Radio 4’s Today programme. Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary would like to see me stoned to death. It’s nothing personal, you understand, he just hates queers. I’m not too keen on religious maniacs who rave from the periphery, but that’s not quite the same as wanting to kill them. Does my magnanimity make me a better person than Choudary? No, but it makes me a better neighbour and isn’t that what religion is supposed to be about?

Asked at the press conference he convened to defend the ill-timed anti-war protest he had organised in Luton a week earlier whether stoning would apply to all homosexuals, even a Cabinet minister, Choudary replied: “If a man likes another man, it can happen… but if you go on to fulfil your desires, then there is a punishment to follow.”

Fortunately, there are safeguards. “You don’t stone to death unless there are four eyewitnesses. It’s a very stringent procedure.” Thank goodness for that. I was worried that this man of God was advocating something we just don’t do in a liberal democracy. After speaking to a Metropolitan police officer who happens to be gay, I was told that the police would look into this matter to investigate whether a hate crime had been committed only if they received an actual complaint. So I made one.

Hate crimes – of whatever nature – are notoriously difficult to prosecute. It is not always easy for the police and judiciary to decide whether a victim was chosen because they were black, Jewish, Islamic, disabled or gay. The only thing that perpetrators of hate crimes do not discriminate against is discrimination itself. They hate everyone.

Bizarrely, homophobic would-be assassins are afforded an extra layer of legal protection that is not available to their victims. While the Crime and Disorder Act 1999 made it an offence to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their race or religion, there no such deterrent to homophobic abuse. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 simply requires a victim’s sexual orientation to be “taken into account by the sentencing court as an aggravating factor in addition to race or religious hate motivation”.  The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2007 made it an offence to “use threatening words or behaviour with the intention of stirring up hatred against any group of people because of their religious beliefs or their lack of religious beliefs”. This is something I can agree with, if only because of the last bit. But what about stirring up hatred because of people’s sexual preferences? Or should I not feel threatened by the knowledge that someone I have never met thinks I should be stoned to death?

Instead, gays were offered protection against discrimination by the Sexual Orientation Regulations Bill 2007, which guarantees the fair provision of goods and services, including education and adoption, but stops short of criminalising hatred against gays.

Metropolitan gays might be tempted to dismiss Choudary’s rant as the musings of a mad Mullah, the stance adopted by the Daily Mail, a newspaper which once might have invited Choudary to write its leader if only public stonings weren’t so unBritish. But to dismiss him would do a great disservice to the family and friends of Michael Causer. Last July, in Liverpool, Causer was dragged from his bed and beaten. According to one witness, his piercings were dug out of his body with a knife. Causer died nine days later. He was killed because he was a gay man.

Research published this week by the Gay and Lesbian Policing Group and the Metropolitan Police reveals anecdotal evidence that beneath society’s tolerant surface, which often leads to abuse. Earlier this month, Gerald Edwards, 59, was stabbed to death and his partner, Chris Bevan, was severely injured in the home they shared in in what police believe was a homophobic attack.

Figures published by the Met show that while we have consigned public floggings and worse to history, homophobic crimes are actually on the increase. There has been a 5 per cent increase in reported incidents – from 1,008 in 2007 to 1,062 in 2008. A quarter of these involved physical violence. As the report estimates that anti-gay hate crimes are among the most under reported of all crimes the actual figure is likely to be much higher. In 2007 Johan Hari of The Independent questioned the need for gays to be afforded specific legal protection. Then I agreed with him when he wrote: “Hate-crime turns us into a special category. It says that stabbing me is worse than stabbing my heterosexual brother.” But then I never expected to hear Anjem Choudary call publicly for my execution. If I were to call for his, I would be rightly prosecuted – complaint or no complaint. This Tuesday MPs debated “Clause 58”, legislation that would criminalise hateful homophobic comments. Last time this issue was debated it was defeated by Tory opposition. Only five Tories have said they will back the bill this time around. It’s an interesting test of David Cameron’s committment to equality.

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  • Mike

    The problem with people nowdays they just take the news as Gospel. I think b4 we accuse Mr choudary we need to verify the news, otherwise we would have Gutter Press(The Sun) taking over; and that would be a disaster.

    In otherword do u have any proof he said those words.

  • Mike

    The problem with people nowdays they just take the news as Gospel. I think b4 we accuse Mr choudary we need to verify the news, otherwise we would have Gutter Press(The Sun) taking over; and that would be a disaster.

    In otherword do u have any proof he said those words.

  • http://www.razanghazzawi.com razan ghazzawi

    I am sorry but I can’t seem to get where all these crimes happening, in the UK?

  • http://www.razanghazzawi.com razan ghazzawi

    I am sorry but I can’t seem to get where all these crimes happening, in the UK?

  • steve

    A very good point well made Cary and its not often I say that about anything printed in the Tribune ! But then it is a point I have been making for some time. As I am straight however my complaints are dismissed as the racist ravings of a closet homo.
    Instead of testing Dave Toff’s ( or Alan Duncan’s ) credentials why don’t you address your points to Dodger Livingstone and his merry band of rentathugs aka the UAF.
    For at the heart of the UAF is a major contradiction. ZanuLabour relies on the muslim block vote but islam is dedicated to wiping homosexuality from the face of the earth. ( hanging’s too good for them etc etc ).But then islam is also committed to dispensing with the need for christians , buddhists , hindus , animal rights , jews , pagans , wimmin’s rights , freedom of expression , democracy , bleeding heart socialist collaborators , justice under the law etc etc . Indeed , now you think about , everybody and everything that is not islam ; including – for the avoidance of any doubt – all the little interest groups that Dodger claims for his anti bnp rainbow alliance.
    Ho hum you could even say its a natural consequence of according an inflexible and violent death cult the right to attack the very society dedicated to protecting it .
    I regret to say Cary that the more your parasitic leaders bend to the will of the mad mullahs the less likely it is that you will be able to sleep soundly in your bed or walk the streets in anything approaching a safe environment. Imagine the day when the Metropolitan Political Force are confronted with a mob of chanting muslims claiming that you , personally , offend islam ( a la Choudary ) on one hand and , er , you on the other.
    After they have consulted their multicultural policing handbook and phoned in to claim the overtime who are they going to protect ? Read your article back to yourself Cary – you already have the answer don’t you? Oh and don’t forget to keep me up to date with the progress of your complaint.
    Thank goodness for Mike and his post – that’s more like the Tribune standard( either that or his irony is so bitter that it doesn’t register ) . Mike and all his fellow Dhimwits ( that includes you Dodger- no hiding at the back now ) might like to have a little look at the koran – its not difficult to find ; its now on the top shelf in all our libraries – and see what islam has to say in its holy text. You kaffirs might be surprised to find out that islam is not actually the religion of peace after all and those pesky terrorists are only doing god’s work . So they can’t be all bad
    Which leads me to my final point – do you seriously think that criminalising ‘ hateful homophobic comments ‘ is going to deter Mr Choudary and his co- cultists ? He , like all muslims , has an unbending religious obligation to do as mohamed commands and , as we would know if we were to read the koran, mohamed didn’t have many good things to say about people with Cary’s preferences.
    A final point point on perspective ;
    YOU might think Mr Choudary and his pals are raving from the periphery Cary but THEY don’t. islam is at war and , with Theo Van Gogh dead , you , me and every other non believer are the front line. Welcome to the trenches Cary

  • steve

    A very good point well made Cary and its not often I say that about anything printed in the Tribune ! But then it is a point I have been making for some time. As I am straight however my complaints are dismissed as the racist ravings of a closet homo.
    Instead of testing Dave Toff’s ( or Alan Duncan’s ) credentials why don’t you address your points to Dodger Livingstone and his merry band of rentathugs aka the UAF.
    For at the heart of the UAF is a major contradiction. ZanuLabour relies on the muslim block vote but islam is dedicated to wiping homosexuality from the face of the earth. ( hanging’s too good for them etc etc ).But then islam is also committed to dispensing with the need for christians , buddhists , hindus , animal rights , jews , pagans , wimmin’s rights , freedom of expression , democracy , bleeding heart socialist collaborators , justice under the law etc etc . Indeed , now you think about , everybody and everything that is not islam ; including – for the avoidance of any doubt – all the little interest groups that Dodger claims for his anti bnp rainbow alliance.
    Ho hum you could even say its a natural consequence of according an inflexible and violent death cult the right to attack the very society dedicated to protecting it .
    I regret to say Cary that the more your parasitic leaders bend to the will of the mad mullahs the less likely it is that you will be able to sleep soundly in your bed or walk the streets in anything approaching a safe environment. Imagine the day when the Metropolitan Political Force are confronted with a mob of chanting muslims claiming that you , personally , offend islam ( a la Choudary ) on one hand and , er , you on the other.
    After they have consulted their multicultural policing handbook and phoned in to claim the overtime who are they going to protect ? Read your article back to yourself Cary – you already have the answer don’t you? Oh and don’t forget to keep me up to date with the progress of your complaint.
    Thank goodness for Mike and his post – that’s more like the Tribune standard( either that or his irony is so bitter that it doesn’t register ) . Mike and all his fellow Dhimwits ( that includes you Dodger- no hiding at the back now ) might like to have a little look at the koran – its not difficult to find ; its now on the top shelf in all our libraries – and see what islam has to say in its holy text. You kaffirs might be surprised to find out that islam is not actually the religion of peace after all and those pesky terrorists are only doing god’s work . So they can’t be all bad
    Which leads me to my final point – do you seriously think that criminalising ‘ hateful homophobic comments ‘ is going to deter Mr Choudary and his co- cultists ? He , like all muslims , has an unbending religious obligation to do as mohamed commands and , as we would know if we were to read the koran, mohamed didn’t have many good things to say about people with Cary’s preferences.
    A final point point on perspective ;
    YOU might think Mr Choudary and his pals are raving from the periphery Cary but THEY don’t. islam is at war and , with Theo Van Gogh dead , you , me and every other non believer are the front line. Welcome to the trenches Cary

  • steve

    Hello hello calling Dodger Livingstone or any of his feather bedded rentathugs in the UAF.
    Hello hello calling all the rabid multi culturalists from Zanulabour.
    Any reply to my earlier post ? no I didn’t think so.
    There you are Cary ,now you know where your friends are when you need them most don’t you ? Nowhere
    BTW did you see Gordon Brownshirt’s Political Force rolling up the G20 protesters on TV last night ? A slightly different reaction to the ‘ run away run away ‘ response shown to the violent islamist mob recently wasn’t it ? ( if you don’t know what i’m talkiing about swerve the MSM and check out the internet )
    I bet the contrast fills you with hope for the future doesn’t it Cary ? No ? then it looks like its bully beef all round for a few years yet.

  • steve

    Hello hello calling Dodger Livingstone or any of his feather bedded rentathugs in the UAF.
    Hello hello calling all the rabid multi culturalists from Zanulabour.
    Any reply to my earlier post ? no I didn’t think so.
    There you are Cary ,now you know where your friends are when you need them most don’t you ? Nowhere
    BTW did you see Gordon Brownshirt’s Political Force rolling up the G20 protesters on TV last night ? A slightly different reaction to the ‘ run away run away ‘ response shown to the violent islamist mob recently wasn’t it ? ( if you don’t know what i’m talkiing about swerve the MSM and check out the internet )
    I bet the contrast fills you with hope for the future doesn’t it Cary ? No ? then it looks like its bully beef all round for a few years yet.

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