"A volunteer has been dismissed from the British Red Cross for protesting against gay marriage.
Bryan Barkley, 71, was told he is no longer welcome at the charity because his views are incompatible with its values.
The church-going pensioner received his dismissal letter after holding a one-man protest outside his local cathedral.
He held up a placard saying 'No same sex marriage' and 'No redefinition of marriage'.
Yesterday his supporters said the charity's action was shocking and it was punishing volunteers for their thoughts and views." (Daily Mail, 1 November 2014) also see (C4M, 3 November 2014)
Below are three letters written to the British Red Cross directors challenging their Politically Correct and fascist decision to dismiss Mr Barkley.
To the British Red Cross Directors
Our nation was founded on Christianity, Parliament opens in prayer and Her Majesty made a Coronation Oath to defend the Christian religion. I wish to protest against your treatment of the volunteer, Bryan Barkley, who was dismissed from the British Red Cross for protesting against gay marriage.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron. Almighty God created marriage of one man and one woman for love and procreation [Matthew 19:4-6]. Same-sex 'marriage' is infertile, unnatural and an unhealthy abuse of sexuality with all manner of diseases associated with unclean behaviour. The consequences to our nation, especially for children, are distressing.
I read in the Daily Mail that Mr Barkley, was told he is no longer welcome at your charity because he demonstrated at Wakefield Cathedral against the redefinition of marriage. The fact that our coalition government has redefined marriage does not change the fact that we were created in the image of God to be fruitful and multiply [Genesis 1:28]. I therefore applaud Mr Barkley's action and am offended by your treatment of a volunteer. I repeat, the consequences to our nation for this arrogance and rebellion to support unnatural same-sex 'marriage' whilst discriminating against those who uphold the natural order will be frightful [Romans 6:23].
In fact, your behaviour is a violation of democracy and human rights. We all have a right to express our views on any change to any law whatsoever. Perhaps you have been bombarded with messages from the 'Gaystapo' who saw a report on Mr Barkley in their offensive little "Pink News". If so, you should be ashamed of giving into their bullying.
If the Red Cross can no longer show respect for all regardless of their religion or belief, then the Red Cross is no longer charitable and will lose my support. For your information I was once a volunteer on the Red Cross hurricane preparedness committee in the British West Indies.
Be assured, I will not donate one more penny to the Red Cross until Mr Barkley is re-instated with a public apology. I know many other people who are saying the same thing, Remember that homosexuals are only 1.5% of the population, If you pander to them and the political 'correctness' of our crumbling culture you will lose the support of many more.
Sincerely
A Christian Woman (Name withheld)
Dear Mr Adamson
Re: Dismissing of Volunteer Bryan Barkley How can the British Red Cross a humanitarian relief organisation take a position to persecute and dismiss a loyal volunteer, Bryan Barkley, who has upheld a perfectly legal point of view that Same Sex Marriage is wrong? His protest was made without reference to the British Red Cross.
Your interpretation of equality and diversity is completely biased and denies the reality of human biology and the natural concept of the family that has maintained the human race over millennia and provided the perfect nurturing environment for children. Same-Sex relationships can never do that.
How does dismissing Mr Barkley fit with the British Red Cross’s Fundamental Principles? “It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions.” (British Red Cross, 4 November 2014) You are denying your own principles.
If this decision is not reversed immediately, you will have destroyed the brand of the British Red Cross as trustworthy and fair and will create huge antagonism and distrust amongst your loyal supporters; expect your donations to drop catastrophically. I will never donate to the British Red Cross again, unless this decision is reversed, and if I see a British Red Cross canvasser or tin collector I will tell them that they are supporting a fascist organisation and should be ashamed.
Yours sincerely
Dr James B Waddell
F.A.O. Directors of the British Red Cross
I wish to protest against your treatment of Red Cross volunteer Bryan Barkley, who was dismissed from the British Red Cross for protesting against so-called 'gay marriage'.
Quite frankly, I am amazed at your decision. To any clear-thinking adult who has any sense of morality, homosexual behaviour is an unnatural practice, which clearly defies the normal design of sexuality, which is that a man intimately loves a woman, in the way that God designed. The bible makes it patently clear that any other intimate sexual relationship is forbidden (even outside of marriage), which is why such a person as Mr Barkley feels the need to protest against such behaviour, even if there has been an act of Parliament which sanctions so-called 'gay marriage'.
Need I remind you that the British nation and its laws were and mostly still remain strongly Christian? Parliament still opens in Christian prayer, and Her Majesty's Coronation Oath embodies Christian belief.
As I feel sure you will admit, in our free society, Mr Barkley has every right to make his views known. But the stance you have taken would suggest that, in practice, you do not think he does, which clearly denies his 'human right' to do so.
It is my firm persuasion that the current trend by our government to accommodate what Christians such as I deem to be perversion will have a very detrimental influence upon both the moral and the medical health of our nation, especially our children. The natural traditional family unit of one man and one woman (and, usually, children) has been subject to progressive assault during the past half century and more. Mr Barkley ought surely to be applauded, rather than punished, for taking a perfectly reasonable and worthy stance on its behalf.
Like many others I know, I will not in future donate anything to the Red Cross, until Mr Barkley is re-instated, with a public apology.
yours faithfully,
David N. Ross
The Red Cross have published the following press release on 4 November 2014.
"Following the Daily Mail article (1 November 2014) we want to reassure people that the British Red Cross would not ever take a decision to ask a volunteer to relinquish their duties lightly or without very good cause.
Our 30,000 volunteers in the UK make a vital contribution and we value them enormously. It is with reluctance that we have had to take action in this case, not least because of this volunteer's long service record.
Of course we cannot discuss individual cases in detail but we want to make it absolutely clear that the Red Cross did not dismiss this volunteer specifically because of the views he has on same-sex marriage.
Volunteers have a variety of views on a wide range of topics. The Red Cross respects the right of individuals to hold differing views so long as this does not affect their ability to deliver our services impartially to all who need our help, as enshrined in our fundamental principles.
Where there are serious concerns that certain attitudes will have – or have had – a negative impact on the way services are delivered to a particular community then the Red Cross has no option but to act. (Emphasis added)
We always respect and follow our own rigorous processes in dealing with matters like this. Our volunteer complaints policy clearly states that the British Red Cross expects behaviour that is non-discriminatory and promotes equality. We seek to ensure that our organisation and our services are relevant and accessible to all.
Our volunteers uphold and share these principles of equal and fair treatment and we want to take this opportunity to thank them and to pay tribute to all our supporters for their continued backing."
Reply to Jeremy Eaton, Information team, British Red Cross
Hi Jeremy
Thank you for your email.
I am still puzzled by your response.
You say that you "want to make it absolutely clear that the British Red Cross did not dismiss this volunteer specifically because of the views he has on same sex marriage."
Yet all the news items say that the letter Bryan Barkley received referred to the incompatibility between Mr Barkley's views on marriage and the Red Cross' "fundamental principles and values".
Either way that is the message that has been received by the public.
So what is the real issue here?
My strong suspicion is that you have had a complaint made by GLBTQ activists or British Red Cross senior management as to Mr Barkley's public opposition to same sex marriage and his association with the British Red Cross as a volunteer. The Directors have therefore chosen to apply your fundamental principles to mean that Mr Barkley can't publically express a perfectly legal and reasonable personal opinion at the same time as having a public association with the Red Cross. That is political correctness and fascism.
Neutrality in delivery of Red Cross services is not the same as neutrality of opinion, otherwise Mr Barkley would have been violating your fundamental principles for 18 years as a volunteer. What nonsense.
Yours sincerely
Dr James B Waddell
Anne Widdecombe has also withdrawn her support for the British Red Cross following the Bryan Barkley incident (Express, 5 November 2014).