NC’s Franklin Graham receives apology from town that yanked bus ads. ‘We discriminated.’
A town in England has apologized and agreed to pay $150,000 in penalties for removing Franklin Graham crusade ads from its buses over the North Carolina evangelist’s “anti-LGBTQ” remarks.
The ads promoted Graham’s planned 2018 Lancashire Festival of Hope event in the town of Blackpool along the Irish Sea.
The town and a transit company “discriminated” against Graham “on the ground of religion,” Judge Claire Evans ruled in April, according to a copy of her 35-page decision.
The judge ordered the town and transit company to publicly apologize to the event by Friday, July 16, and pay financial penalties to the Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association by 4 p.m. Friday, July 23. Franklin Graham is president and CEO of the association.
The financial penalties were determined in court two weeks ago, association spokesman Mark Barber said.
In a statement to The Charlotte Observer, Graham called the apology and financial penalties ruling “an important moment for religious freedom in the UK. We’re grateful to God for the final outcome of this case, and for what it will mean for churches and Christians across the UK in the years ahead.
“The Good News of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed,” Graham said in the statement. “My prayer is that this case will encourage Christians to stand firm.”
In its apology posted July 9 on the Blackpool government website, the town and transit company said they “sincerely apologise to the organisers of the event for the upset and inconvenience caused.
“We accept the findings of the Court that we discriminated against Lancashire Festival of Hope because of the religious beliefs of Franklin Graham and in doing so interfered with Lancashire Festival of Hope’s right to freedom of speech,” according to the post..
“We have learnt from this experience. We are committed to ensuring equality of access and opportunity for the population of Blackpool and providing and improving quality services for all.
“We have now introduced clear and transparent policies that will ensure no repeat of events such as these.”
In removing the ads, Blackpool Transport cited “heightened tension” over Graham’s remarks critical of the LGBTQ community, the Observer previously reported.
The company said it acted in response to complaints from British LGBTQ leaders.
Graham shot back on Facebook at the time, saying his planned 2018 “Crusade of Hope” was designed to “transform hearts and lives.”
In her April 1 ruling, Evans wrote that Graham has a right to freedom of expression, “and the role of the court is not to enquire into the validity of differing religious views, or to give preference to some over others.”
“All religions and beliefs are characteristics protected by law,” according to the judge. “The domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights have consistently affirmed that a pluralistic tolerant society allows for the expression of many different and sometimes diametrically opposed beliefs.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 12:14 PM.