A GROUP of three young women held a peaceful protest in Enniskillen on Thursday over what they believe is ongoing hate speech on the Diamond in Enniskillen.

The protest was held in response to evangelical preachers who had gathered on the Diamond and were preaching with a loudspeaker.

The trio – Orla Bryant, Noelle Thornton and Jamie Farmer – all class themselves as LGBT+ allies, and one of the women identifies as a member of the LGBT+ community.

They gathered on Thursday afternoon on the left-hand side of the Diamond, close to where evangelical preachers were loudly addressing pedestrians, shoppers and passing traffic.

The trio held up a rainbow flag – an internationally recognised symbol of LGBT+ rights, identity and solidarity – and asked passersby to stand with them.

Impartial Reporter:

Noelle said: “They've [the preachers] told us that we need to repent, because of who we love; they've said that love becomes between a man and a woman, not between man and man, and woman or woman, and [said such love] is ‘a choice’.”

Jamie added: “What they [the preachers] are doing is a hate crime.”

Both spoke to this newspaper over their fears of a young person walking past who could be struggling with their sexuality, and who could be upset by what was being called out over loudspeaker from the men, in addition to their personal opposition to the preaching.

Noelle said she felt the need to protest, as she said she feels some preachers have been “trying to push religion onto people, when they shouldn’t ... [religion is] what you believe”.

The trio of protestors said they felt intimidated by the men and their actions on The Diamond.

While this newspaper was present, the trio were supported by many onlookers who stopped to talk to them, while people driving past tooted their horns, and waved at the girls.

One vocal critic also opposed to the preachers, who was unconnected to the trio of protesting women, shouted some colourful language at the evangelical preachers.

When approached by this newspaper, the evangelical preachers said they were part of the Church in Ireland group.

None of the preachers are from Fermanagh. Two are from Belfast, and two are from Banbridge.

The preachers covered a range of topics at the Diamond, including the rise of Paganism in Ireland, same-sex relations, same-sex marriage, abortion, transgender issues, adultery, and pre-marital sex in young people, and linked some of these issues back to the Bible, and Bible verses.

Preaching to the Diamond, one of the men said: “These are the teaching of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible. Ireland has been a Christian nation for over 1,600 years.

“Paganism was long gone by the time St. Patrick was dead and buried, but it has been revived again, friends, and one form of it can be seen being advertised here on my left-hand side [referring to the trio of protestors].

“But today we ought not to embrace the lies.”

 

Impartial Reporter:

There are no records of the ‘Church in Ireland’ on official databases and they have no website.

Videos of the same group of men are listed on the ‘Salvation On The Streets’ Facebook page, where they document their preaching.

The preachers have also documented multiple arrests by the PSNI in different parts of Northern Ireland.

Local Alliance Party representative Matthew Beaumont said: “ Being LGBT isn’t a choice, just like being Catholic or Protestant isn’t a choice, just like being African or Asian or Caucasian isn’t a choice.

“We are who we are, and anyone who sees fit to insult people and degrade people based on who they love simply need to wake up and realise that times have changed.”

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the PSNI have been contacted for comment on this issue.