HAPPY EASTER!

Electrician persecuted for being a Christain

Yet another story of Christian persecution hits the headlines...

An electrician faces the sack for displaying a small palm cross on the dashboard of his company van.

Former soldier Colin Atkinson has been summoned to a disciplinary hearing by the giant housing association where he has been employed for 15 years because he refuses to remove the symbol.

Mr Atkinson, a regular worshipper at church, said: ‘The treatment of Christians in this country is becoming diabolical...but I will stand up for my faith.’

Throughout his time at work, he has had an 8in-long cross made from woven palm leaves attached to the dashboard shelf below his windscreen without receiving a single complaint.

But his bosses at publicly funded Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) in West Yorkshire – the fifth-biggest housing organisation in England – have demanded he remove the cross on the grounds it may offend people or suggest the organisation is Christian. Mr Atkinson’s union representative said he faces a full disciplinary hearing next month for gross misconduct, which could result in dismissal.

The association strongly promotes ‘inclusive’ policies and allows employees to wear religious symbols at work.

It has provided stalls at gay pride events, held ‘diversity days’ for travellers, and hosted a gender reassignment event entitled A World That Includes Transpeople.

Mr Atkinson, who has an unblemished work record, said he had not been shown similar respect.

‘The past few months have been unbelievable, a nightmare,’ he said.

‘I have worked in the coal mines and served in the Army in Northern Ireland and I have never suffered such stress. The treatment of Christians in this country is becoming diabolical. It is political correctness taken to the extreme.’

But he added: ‘I have never been so full of resolve. I am determined to stand up for my rights. If they sack me, so be it. But I am standing up for my faith.’

Mr Atkinson’s battle follows a series of similar cases involving Christians who claim their freedoms have been curbed following the introduction of controversial equality laws.

Campaigners accused the housing association of ‘remarkable intolerance’ at a time when millions of Christians will be celebrating Palm Sunday today, a week before Easter Sunday. Palms are traditionally distributed during services to mark Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.

Despite the company’s treatment of Mr Atkinson, the boss of the depot where he works in Castleford has been allowed to adorn his office with a poster of the Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara.

Denis Doody, who is WDH’s environmental manager, also has a whiteboard on which are written several quotations by the Marxist guerrilla leader, who was a key figure in the Cuban revolution in the Fifties.

Colleagues said staff and even members of the public who were visiting the depot would be able to see the poster and whiteboard through his office window.

Mr Atkinson began work as an electrician in the mines before serving as an Army radio technician for seven years. His military career included a stint at the notorious, riot-torn Long Kesh internment camp in Northern Ireland in 1974.

He was employed as a £25,000-a-year electrician by Wakefield Council in 1996, but its housing department was transferred into the association’s ownership six years ago.

His ordeal began last year when managers at WDH, which has 31,000 properties, told Mr Atkinson to remove the cross from the van after years of ignoring it.

He demanded to know why. He said his cross was as discreet and inoffensive as other forms of religious expression and accused his bosses of badgering him.

The company said, however, that he had refused a ‘reasonable’ request to remove the symbol from an official vehicle that could be seen by members of the public.

The 64-year-old grandfather became a committed Christian more than 20 years ago and was a regular Church of England worshipper for many years.

He said he had kept palm crosses ever since he was given one at a Palm Sunday service more than 20 years ago, and replaced them when they fell apart.

‘I’m just an ordinary bloke. I get on with people and have many friends of other faiths, including a Sikh and a Hindu who both came and spoke up for me at one of the meetings I’ve had with managers about this.

‘Christians are called to be public in our faith, and the cross is my way of being obedient to that call. It brings me peace and strength. It is a central part of who I am and I can’t hide it away.’

In 2009, Mr Atkinson switched to a three-day-a-week training post overseeing apprentices so he could spend more time caring for his sick wife.

He said that although his new role meant he spent more time in the office, he was approached by a line manager who asked him to remove the cross from his van.

Over the following weeks, Mr Atkinson was subjected to further requests from several different managers, but he demanded to speak to more senior bosses.

He said: ‘They would take me to one side and say I had to get rid of it. For weeks I didn’t know where all this was coming from.

‘Then a colleague who had overheard a conversation tipped me off that there had been an anonymous letter complaining about misuse of the van and mentioning the cross. It was a malicious letter full of scurrilous lies and the company never pursued the claims. But it used the letter to raise the issue of the cross.

‘I felt I was being badgered, so I complained that I was being harassed because of my faith.’

In a series of meetings last year, Mr Atkinson and his Unite union representative, Terry Cunliffe, argued that there was nothing in the rules explicitly prohibiting the cross, which had been accepted for years.

Transcripts of meetings show they strongly disputed the company’s claim that the cross could offend someone, or that anyone who saw it in the van – one of the company’s 280 vehicles – would conclude that the association was Christian.

Mr Cunliffe said at one meeting: ‘What if there were political or religious documents on the dashboard? Would it look like they were WDH’s? A cross on the side of a building would reflect on WDH. A cross displayed in the front of a vehicle would be, in my opinion, a reflection of the person driving.’

But the company’s equality and diversity manager, Jayne O’Connell, who was recruited from HBoS bank in 2009, replied: ‘WDH has a stance of neutrality. We now have different faiths, new emerging cultures. We have to be respectful of all views and beliefs.’

At another meeting, Ms O’Connell said Mr Atkinson could express his faith but ‘it is quite clear it cannot be associated with WDH and displaying the cross gives the impression that WDH is a Christian organisation’.

She said staff could demonstrate their personal beliefs ‘discreetly’, even adding that the company could provide extra material in its official corporate colours ‘for employees who wish to wear a different style of uniform’.

Pressed by Mr Cunliffe on whether a Muslim woman who wore a burka at work would be considered discreet, she said: ‘If they could do their job effectively, then yes.’

Asked whether she would think a burka in WDH corporate colours was discreet, Ms O’Connell replied: ‘Yes, it would be.’

Mr Atkinson, who has been advised by human rights lawyer Paul Diamond, said he had been ‘flabbergasted’ when his grievances were rejected and he was told he could be disciplined.

In December, the company, which had earlier admitted that its policy on vehicles was unclear, issued an ‘updated’ policy saying that all personal symbols should be removed from vans.

Mr Atkinson said: ‘I can’t come to any other conclusion than that they moved the goalposts so they could single me out. I felt I was on trial for my faith.’

Since the policy was updated, he has been summoned to a series of preliminary disciplinary investigations, the latest of which was last week. At the end of that meeting he was told that managers would hold a full disciplinary hearing in May.

Mr Cunliffe said: ‘Colin has been told to attend a full disciplinary hearing next month. Under company rules, refusing a “reasonable” management request is gross misconduct, which can result in summary dismissal.’

Speaking at his neat terrace house in Wakefield – where there is little evidence of his strong faith except for a Christian fish symbol alongside an array of family photographs – Mr Atkinson said he had suffered sleepless nights and had occasionally been reduced to tears.

He said his wife, who suffers from a muscular disease that has often confined her to a wheelchair, had also suffered from stress.

He added: ‘I found the meetings intimidating and a bit confrontational. I felt on the defensive. I came out thinking, ‘‘Why should I be on the defensive?’’

‘I have, however, received overwhelming support from friends and rank-and-file colleagues, which has given me strength.

‘I can only think the company is motivated by fear of offending ethnic minorities.’

Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, which is backing Mr Atkinson, said: ‘Colin Atkinson is a decent and hard-working man, yet after many years of service he has been told he cannot continue to have a small palm cross in his van.

‘This smacks of something deeply illiberal and remarkably intolerant. Is this the kind of society the British public want to live in?

‘The cross is a profound symbol of God’s love for all of us. We should not be

*A 2009 report revealed that the association staged a number of diversity days for employees and tenants. Sessions have been led by groups including Women In Construction, Mental Health Matters and The Leeds Gypsy and Travellers Group. The imam from Wakefield Central Mosque has also been involved.

The company also produces an intranet calendar for employees that shows religious festivals and celebrations.

It said it aims to ‘influence the embedding of diversity and inclusion best practice with all policies, processes and procedures to ensure WDH maximises the potential of all our employees and customers’.

Brent council bans Easter Parade but welcomes Diwali & Eid

Every year the Christians from different churches get together to march a 400-yard route to celebrate Easter.

But this year their Good Friday parade has been banned – because it breaches health and safety laws.

Church leaders say town hall bureaucrats are refusing Christians rights routinely afforded to minority groups, and have vowed to defy them.

Previously organisers of the parade in Willesden, north London, had only needed to inform police of their route. But new red tape means they now need permission from Brent Council.

Officials said they banned the procession because they were contacted too late to carry out a ‘consultation’ to close the roads.

Father Hugh MacKenzie, of St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church, said: ‘The rights of Christians are being overlooked in favour of the rights of Islamic groups and gay rights organisations.

‘One does wonder whether if it was a homosexual rights or Islamic group the council would have been more flexible, as it doesn’t seem like rocket science to permit us to walk 400 metres.

‘The rights of Christians are just not respected in Britain.’

Church leaders have vowed to walk in the road anyway carrying a cross, a painting of Jesus washing followers’ feet and other religious symbols.

Brent Council hosts a Diwali street celebration every year. Last November it boasted it had held the biggest Diwali event in the country, after more than 60,000 people turned out.

And in July last year the council appealed to the Muslim community to notify it of any Eid events so it could promote them free of charge.

But it did not do the same for other religious festivals.

Last night former Home Office minister – and devout Christian – Ann Widdecombe said: ‘Don’t Brent Council know about Easter? These processions will be taking place all over the country on Good Friday, it’s part of our tradition.

‘It’s ridiculous and petty that a group cannot walk 400 yards. Why should they need special permission to do that?’

Every Easter for 13 years, about 200 worshippers from four churches – the New Testament Church of God, St Andrew’s Church of England, St Mary Magdalen and Willesden Green Baptist Church – have marched before celebrating communion together.

Father MacKenzie said: ‘It is a long-standing tradition in the area. It is a chance for us to get together.

‘The idea of tolerating the major religions, particularly the Christian religion which has been at the heart of our civilisation, and our right to express ourselves in this moderate way is a very basic aspect of religious freedom.’

Last night Brent Council told the worshippers to walk on the pavement.

A spokesman added: ‘Brent Council was not contacted about the march until around a week ago.

‘There is a strict legal procedure we have to follow to issue a traffic order closing roads so people can march in the highway, which includes advertising and consultation, and this takes about five weeks.

‘We are very sorry to say there is now not enough time for us to legally facilitate this march.’

DM

Oldham council and the big social experiment - Recipe for disaster

In the ultimate political correct agenda, a local council is to force different communities together in a big social experiment... already failed in other parts of the UK.

Recorded from Newsnight, 05 August 2010.

Easter message from Nick Griffin

A special event that happened recently has changed my outlook on our struggle and the situation facing our sacred country. That event was the peaceful, sensible, mature debate with the Christian Party leader George Hargreaves and a large number of Christian Party members. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire debate which was noticeably absent of the usual hysterical fanaticism of the liberal-left.

It made me think long and hard about a new dimension of our struggle: our Christian religion, culture and traditions. In the past too much emphasis has been placed on the ethnic aspect of our present national dilemma, whilst the longest running feature of our identity has been overlooked: the fact that our country has been held together and guided for millennia by our common, ancient religion: Christianity.

And before you misunderstand me, I do not mean the gut-wrenching politically correct quasi-Marxist nonsense spewing forth from the treacherous leaders of the modern Anglican Church. I mean the traditional, upright, decent and honest Christianity that defended Europe from Islamic conquest, the Christianity of the Crusades and the Christianity of our forefathers.

There is nothing in traditional Christianity about world government, abolishing the nations, enslaving the world to finance capitalism and big business, eradicating traditional unique cultures and national identities, the promotion of sexual perversion, the glorification of treason, letting criminals run rampant and political correctness.

No, the Christianity of our forefathers was about honesty, family, patriotism, sacrifice, loyalty, king and country. For over 1,000 years Christianity held our people together and guided us through the centuries. If Christianity had not existed Europe would have been conquered by Islam centuries ago.

I made the irrefutable point during the debate with the Christian Party that the British National Party is the only political organisation in Britain that wants to keep this country fundamentally Christian, with Christian values, traditions and culture. Every other political party would happily allow Islam to engulf our Christian homeland.

After the General Election, all BNP leaflets will carry a Christian Cross to demonstrate our commitment to maintaining and preserving our Christian heritage as a nation. Politically correct scoundrels like Rowen Williams will cry fowl but we have nothing to be ashamed of as we are the defenders of Britain's Christian heritage, just like our Crusader ancestors in the Middle Ages.

So this weekend enjoy the Christian festival of Easter with pride and remember the War Heroes that fell in the many wars to defend our homeland. Be proud of your British, Christian identity and reject the false guilt and self-loathing of the liberal-left political class.

The darkest hour is just before the dawn, but be of good cheer for Christ Our Lord is risen!

Religious hatred between Muslims and Christians - Nigeria

Peter Oborne's (Daily Mail) chilling report on religious hatred between Muslims and Christians:


There was total silence, apart from birdsong, when we entered the village of Kuru Karama. Every building had been burnt or destroyed. There were no villagers in sight, just two or three soldiers at a guard post dozing in the late afternoon sun.

At length, we found a group of young men and women. Did they live here? Yes. Had they been here on the day of the massacre?

No, they knew nothing. Were they Christian or Muslim? Christian. They bent their heads and one woman placed her hand over her mouth.

Finally, we came across Abdullah. He took us to a little square and pointed out some of the wells into which the Christian killers had thrown scores of dead bodies, their heads downwards.

Some of the bodies were so decomposed that they could not be removed. The stench of death seeped out of the wells.

Abdullah pointed to a sewage pit, now covered with concrete blocks. He told us that the attackers had thrown 30 children in, between six months and three years old. This pit was now their unmarked grave.

All around were burnt patches on the ground in the shape of human bodies, where the attackers had hacked down their victims, poured fuel on them, then set them alight.

Abdullah had been away in town on the day of the attack, and returned later to discover that he had lost 13 family members, including his wife.

He broke down as he told us how, when he helped to pull her body out of a well, he saw that her face had been mutilated. He could only recognise her by her clothes.

Later, talking to survivors, all of who had fled to neighbouring towns and villages, we pieced together much of what had happened. At 8.30am rumours circulated of an impending assault.

A meeting of local imams, pastors and community leaders was called at once - but the police and district chief dismissed their fears. At around 10.30am three vans parked outside the village and gangs of young men, and some women, emerged.

Their faces ware painted red and they were chanting 'kill, kill, kill'. Far from intervening, the local policemen, so we were told, joined in.

Armed with guns and machetes, the mob went systematically from house to house. At 6.30pm, about the time of sunset, a whistle was blown and the killers obediently got back into their vans, leaving more than 170 dead and others horribly mutilated. There have been no arrests, and no charges have been pressed.

Well over 1,000 people have been killed just this year, and there is no prospect at all of the carnage abating.

The full article can be read HERE

White boys bullied in multicultural schools - Norway

hippie dipshits in Norway from Vlad Tepes on Vimeo.

I don't know how long this clip will be available so please take the time to watch it. It was pulled from Youtube by the station that made it.

The clip is of Ellas a young boy in Gronland, Oslo, a city in Norway whose population consists of 45% immigration.

Ellas' family are ex-'anti'-fascists who wanted to live the muliticultural dream. However, things haven't turned out the way they wanted.

Thanks to his parents, Ellas has been living a lonely life, bullied and beaten in school and out by muslims who tell him he will go to hell.

I will leave you to watch the clip; it does have a happy ending.

Many thanks to VladTepes for sharing
A

Don't let politicians bully you, Lord Carey warns Christians

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey today accused politicians of trying to bully Christianity out of public life.

He complained of a 'strident and bullying campaign' to marginalise Christianity in the name of political correctness.

Lord Carey said: 'We have reached the point where politicians are mocked for merely expressing their faith.

'I cannot imagine any politician expressing concern that Britain should remain a Christian country. That reticence is a scandal and a disgrace to our history.'

The powerful intervention from the retired Archbishop, who stepped down from Lambeth Palace in 2002, comes in the wake of strongly-expressed criticism of state attempts to sideline Christianity from other senior prelates.

Last month Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said that Christianity was being pushed out of public life in a 'ferocious and insidious' manner.

Lord Carey has spoken out strongly on a number of controversial matters since his retirement in a way he avoided while serving as the Anglican primate. In particular, he has backed limits to immigration, criticised Islamic theology, and attacked the 'anything goes' philosophy that has led judges to constrain public debate about the bad behaviour of celebrities for the sake of their privacy.

He told a meeting in the House of Lords: 'Christianity, which has given so much to our country, is now being sidelined as never before as though it is a stranger to our nation.'

Lord Carey told Christians to stand up for their faith and to be more assertive when their heritage is attacked.

'If we behave like doormats, don't be surprised if we are treated as though we are,' he said. 'It is time to return to the public square.'

Lord Carey echoed Dr Sentamu's concerns that the rights of Christian schools to teach the basis of their faith is being stripped away.

'This bullying campaign seeks to ban faith schools, despite evidence that faith schools perform better than many others.'

He added: 'It is clear that we must stand up against the marginalising of faith.

'We must constantly remind society of its Christian roots and heritage.'

Lord Carey was addressing a conference run by the Christian Broadcasting Council which highlighted cases of individuals picked on for their Christian faith.

They included teacher Olive Jones who lost her job last year after offering to pray for a 14-year-old cancer patient with whom she was working, and Caroline Petrie, a Somerset nurse suspended for offering to pray for a patient but then reinstated by NHS bosses following a public outcry.

Speakers also cited Gary McFarlane, a Relate counsellor who lost his job after he declined to offer sex therapy to a gay couple.

Olave Snelling, chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Council, said: 'We have the duty of telling the stories of those suffering persecution for their faith overseas and now, it seems, in Great Britain also.

'Pressure is building against Christians in what was once a Christian land.'

Daily Mail