Cllr Peter Willows, a long-standing Conservative councillor in Brighton and Hove has today been found guilty of a breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act, which outlaws language causing alarm, distress or harassment.
He was alleged to have likened homosexuals to paedophiles, at a reception hosted by the mayor of Brighton and Hove.
Pink News had a reporter in the hearing and will doubtless have more soon.
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8 Comments
Unfortunately if you are even slightly different when it comes to your sexuality then there seems to be knee jerk reaction which includes equating different with automatically being a paedophile.
This isn’t just restricted to members of the LGBT community but also fetishists, those into BDSM and many others.
This is good news. Sadly, for you, this bigot was kicked out of the Conservative Party ages ago and now sits as an Independent.
While I have no sympathy whatsoever for Councillor Willows’ opinions, I defend his right to express them. What possible risk to public order was there?
And why has Councillor Willows been picked upon? Nicholas Van Hoogstraten has made offensive remarks about all kinds of groups over the years, but Sussex Police has been notoriously reluctant to lay a finger on him.
Of Labour Council Leader, Lord Bassam, he once said: “I might send him a s**t parcel one of these days. That should give him something to talk about, ugly sod.” (And why was he never prosecuted for sending excreta in the post, something he openly bragged about?)
To those inclined to defend the use of the law to suppress unpleasant opinions, I say this: those very same laws might be used against YOU one day.
The strangley named ‘Mark Pack doesn’t always win elections’ is incorrect. Willows is a serving memebr of the Tory Party on Brighton & Hove Council. He was only taken off committees when he made the comments. His a further humiliation for Cameron on his first year in office.
Here is the statement from May taking him off committees but not out of the Conservative Party…
Brighton and Hove City Council Conservative Group Leader, Councillor Brian Oxley, said: “In the light of a police investigation into these remarks and a possible reference to the independent Standards Board, it would be inappropriate for Councillor Willows to continue serving as a Conservative representative on Council Committees during this time.
“Conservative Councillors value highly their Ward work on behalf of local people and so Councillor Willows as a Ward Councillor will continue his work by discussing issues direct with officers and making representations on local issues in the usual way.
“Once these enquiries are concluded and their findings known, the Conservative Group will consider the matter further.’
I have noticed with my local tories a gradual realignment to the centre ground. The bigotted fossils who used to run things locally have been quitely deposed and the local association is now being run by people with a 21st century outlook. This is bad news for us as we are finding it harder and harder to label the local tories as the ‘nasty’ party. Luckily a few homophobic anti-european hang em and flog em brigade still inhabite the party locally to provide us with ammunition. It appears Camerons reforms have caused many of those extreme right wingers to leave and join UKIP.
Today’s Daily Mail:
TORY WHO SAID ALL GAYS ARE PAEDOPHILES
A Tory counicllor’s political career lay in tatters yesterday after a court found him guilty of saying all gay people are paedophiles.
Peter Willows has been suspended after serving 12 years as a councillor, following a remark to two gay men in Brighton
Willows has today responded to huge pressure and resigned.