The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found the advertisement placed by the Gay Police Association in the Independent on 29 June 2006 to be offensive and derogatory towards Christians, because it implied they were responsible for a 74% increase in religion-fuelled homophobic incidents. However, a number of other controversial issues were not fully addressed and were thrown out.
The Evangelical Alliance has generally welcomed the ASA decision, although the other concerns remained at the forefront of conversation.
The ASA found that the advertisement was misleading because it implied, by referring to verbal and physical assault in the text, alongside the image of a pool of blood, all homophobic incidents were violent and involved physical injury.
The ASA further found that the claim of the Gay Police Association to have recorded a 74% increase in homophobic incidents where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator was without evidential basis.
In welcoming the findings, Don Horrocks for the Evangelical Alliance commented: "Whilst many Christians will to some extent feel exonerated by the findings of the ASA in relation to this astounding advertisement, it is remarkably inconsistent for the ASA not to find the advertisement was offensive because it implied the teachings of the Bible and Christianity were responsible for, and condoned violence against, homosexual people. After all, the graphic image of a Bible and a pool of blood couldn't send out a clearer message.The actions taken by the ASA are...very weak in only sending a reminder to the Gay Police Association not to give out misleading messages in future
Don Horrocks, Evangelical Alliance
"In the same way, it is very strange that the ASA didn't think the advertisement was irresponsible because it singled out Christians for vilification and discriminatory stereotyping which could fuel anti-Christian prejudice.
"The actions taken by the ASA are also very weak in only sending a reminder to the Gay Police Association not to give out misleading messages in future. At the very least we would have expected the ASA to insist on a formal public apology and retraction."
Horrocks concluded, "The ASA outcome also sits uneasily with the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute following receipt of over 40,000 complaints. It seems to many Christians that implementation of the Public Order Act is confused, inconsistent and riddled with double standards. It is time for both police and Government to review its working to ensure a level playing field for all."
