It's only been a couple of weeks since British cops tried to silence children's author Lynette Burrows. Now the same thing has happened to a British couple because they asked to place literature on an equal footing with a homosexual group.

POLICE questioned a retired couple for 80 minutes about their “homophobic� views after they asked their local council if they could display their Christian literature next to gay rights leaflets, it was reported last night.

Joe and Helen Roberts said that police officers warned them that their actions “were close to a hate crime� after they complained to Wyre Borough Council about its gay rights policies.

The couple claimed that the police told them they were “walking on eggshells�.

Mr Roberts, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, said he had been offended because of the council’s distribution of the gay rights leaflets and its promotion of its theatre as a venue for civil partnership ceremonies.

He said he complained to Paul Deacon, the council officer responsible for Wyre’s part in the Navajo Charter Mark campaign being run by several local authorities to offer assistance to gay and lesbian people.

Mr Roberts, 73, told the Daily Mail: “I told him I was offended. I asked him if I could put Christian literature on display alongside the gay material. He said I couldn’t because it would offend gay people.

“I said we had no objection to gay people, but we thought that homosexual practice was wrong and we were offended by the gay culture which the council is promoting.

In other words, what Mr. and Mrs. Roberts did was an act of pure speech, petitioning their government to allow them equal footing to that of others placing literature. They sought to have their views placed on par with those of others. None of that is unreasonable.

They got the following response from the council.

Mr Roberts had asked if the council would display Christian leaflets, and was told all applications would be considered, but nothing that would offend minority groups would be approved.

In other words, the council won't offend minorities -- but is more than willing to offend the beliefs of Christians.

What the request also got them was a visit from the local police and the threat of possible criminal charges. Mr. Roberts, in fact, asked a question that the police refused to anwer -- and that silence is, in and of itself, quite telling.

“They warned me that being discriminatory and homophobic is in line with hate crime. The phrase they used was that we were ‘walking on eggshells’. I asked the officer, if I phoned the police with a complaint that the council were discriminating against Christians would he go to interview them?�

Got that -- holding and expressing the wrong beliefs places one in jeopardy of being arrested, tried, and potentially imprisoned. That's a far cry from the the vaunted rights of Englishmen, the violation of which inspired our own Founding Fathers to revolt against English tyranny.

Lancashire police said its visit to the Robertses’ family home was a matter of routine after a complaint from the council. A spokesman added: “Words of suitable advice were given and we will not be taking any further action.�

What this really means is that the police told them that if they dare to speak their mind again on the subject of homosexuality, they will go to jail -- and maybe even a reeducation program modelled on those of Mao's Cultural Revolution. If you think I am overstating the matter, consider the response of the council spokesperson to questions from the Times.

A council spokesman said the couple had “displayed potentially homophobic attitudes�.

He added: “The council referred this matter to the police for further investigation with the intention of challenging attitudes and educating and raising awareness of the implications of homophobic behaviour.�

Or, put differently, they had attitudes and beliefs which are seen as criminal -- welcome to the world of real thought crimes!

One more proof that those who demand tolerance of diverse views will tolerate any view except diverse ones.

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