Re: [news] OAP told: Take down atheist poster or you'll be arrested

So, "If you don't believe in our god, he's going to torture you forever," isn't distressing?

 

"I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine."

    -- Bertrand Russell

    

From: Shelley Mountjoy <shelleymountjoy@yahoo.com>
To: "secular-news@googlegroups.com" <secular-news@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 9:11 AM
Subject: [news] OAP told: Take down atheist poster or you'll be arrested

source:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4384525/OAP-told-Take-down-atheist-poster-or-youll-be-arrested.html 

Atheist John Richards, 89, was warned by cops he could be committing a public order offence.

They said his home made pro-atheism note might cause "alarms or distresses" to his neighbours.

But defiant John, from Boston, Lincs, has refused to remove the sheet of A4 paper - branding the police's actions as "a threat to free speech".

The grandfather-of-one fumed: "I wanted to make a statement. To show people it is okay to be an atheist.

"I wanted to show people that if they thought they were alone there was at least one other person who thought that.

"In an e-mail to the police I did say that I could be distressed by signs outside a church saying 'Jesus Saves'.

"But I don't go around saying that they should be taking them down. Freedom of speech means anyone can express their views.

"If there is a complaint does the person concerned not have to prove that he or she was distressed?

"How exactly is distress monitored and assessed?"

Lincolnshire Police replied to his request to put up the sign in an email, which read: "If a complaint is made then it can lead to you being arrested and dealt with for the offence of section 5 public order causing alarm and distress."

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