Summary
In 1999 an Anglican parish church in Newcastle upon Tyne was vandalised and extensively daubed with obscene graffiti because its vicar upheld traditional Christian beliefs on homosexuality. The attack followed a local meeting organised by Britain's leading 'gay rights' lobby group, Stonewall, at which a member of the audience advocated action against Jesmond Parish Church in Newcastle.
Reverend David Holloway, minister of Jesmond Parish Church in Newcastle upon Tyne found that that his church had been covered in obscene phrases and pornographic drawings including the slogans "Gays are OK", "Holloway Out", "Bigot" and "Down with Holloway". Revd Holloway said that "It certainly worries me that there is this kind of hostility against Christian people who take a biblical line."1
The desecration followed a meeting held by the pro-gay group, Stonewall, at Newcastle Civic Centre. The purpose of the meeting was to advocate the repeal of Section 28, a law that banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools and other places. Action against The Christian Institute and Jesmond Parish Church was openly discussed from the floor of the meeting. Revd George Curry, who had attended the meeting, said, "A man stood up from the floor and said he had organised protests against Jesmond Parish Church before and was prepared to take action. He asked people to meet him afterwards to discuss plans. There was an understanding at the meeting that action against the church would be welcome although nobody directly advocated criminal damage."2
The name of an individual who suggested action against Jesmond Parish Church was passed on to Northumbria Police but they chose not to investigate the matter. Following a radio interview with Revd Holloway, the director of a local cleaning firm contacted the church offering to remove the graffiti at no cost. Removing the graffiti took them most of the day.3
