Judge rules ban on bus adverts for Franklin Graham UK event was unlawful

Apr 2, 2021 by Andrew Symes

by Marcus Jones, Premier:

The organisers of an evangelistic event in which Franklin Graham preached have won a legal dispute with Blackpool Council.

The Lancashire Festival of Hope took place over three days at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens in September 2018 and saw hundreds make commitments to follow Christ.

Before the start of the event, adverts which were booked to appear on local buses, were banned.

Despite the ads simply stating ‘Time for Hope’, they were refused over concerns that Graham would incite hatred upon his visit.

The concern was linked to past comments he’d made about Islam and homosexuality.

In a statement at the time, Jane Cole, Managing Director at Blackpool Transport said: “The removal of these adverts is as a result of us listening and acting on customer and public feedback which we aim to do at all times.

“Blackpool Transport is a proud ongoing supporter of the Pride and LGBT+ communities and in no way did we intend to cause any distress or upset.”

The organisers of the event decided to take legal action and despite a delay because of the pandemic, the case was finally heard last month at Manchester County Court.

Today, Judge Claire Evans said that freedom of expression had been blocked. In her judgement, she said: “The balance comes down overwhelmingly in favour of the Claimant.

“Yes, the Claimant was still able to advertise its event and yes, it was still a success. But it turned out all right in the end cannot be an answer to the question of whether the interference with a fundamental right to freedom of expression can be justified.

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See also: British council unlawfully discriminated against Franklin Graham by pulling ads for event, judge rules, by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post