A person prompted outrage for attending the Belfast Pride Parade in Northern Ireland last Saturday while mockingly dressed as Jesus in a crown of thorns.
A spokesperson for Northern Ireland’s small unionist Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party warned in response that public sector bodies using taxpayer money to take part in the event potentially violated Northern Irish law protecting religious beliefs.
“The Belfast Pride parade this weekend featured a person dressed as Jesus, complete with a mock crown of thorns, dancing down the road and giving high-fives to supporters,” wrote Adam James Pollock, an creator from Northern Ireland. “I’m so incredibly uninterested in this nonsense, and so sick of how normal attacks on Christianity are.”
Pollock tweeted out a picture of the mock Jesus impersonator, who was sporting a big golden cross while flanked by what appears to be a lady wrapped in a transgender flag and one other wearing a rainbow halo with a pair of red wings.
The image reportedly first emerged on the Facebook page of Progressive Politics NI, which describes itself as “a cross party political activist group working towards an inclusive & more forward considering [Northern Ireland].” The image has since been deleted.
The group’s page also features anti-Israel posts and a rainbow raised fist, which is an apparent reference to the common Marxist symbol.
Ann McClure, the equality spokesperson for Northern Ireland’s small unionist Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, condemned the Jesus mockery on the parade as “deeply offensive” and suggested no person there would dare make similar fun of Islam.
“Not only did we see the same old examples of Twenty first-century blackface, with grotesque parodies of womanhood on parade and overtly sexual displays, but there was also someone dressed as Jesus Christ — complete with a mock crown of thorns — dancing down the road and high-fiving people on the pavement.”
“This is incredibly offensive to Christians and wouldn’t be tolerated if it were directed at other religions. Belfast Pride likes to portray itself as edgy and anti-establishment, but there would have been absolute confidence of Mohammed being mocked in such a fashion.”
“Christianity, however, is thought to be a soft goal.”
Noting the explicitly political nature of the Belfast Pride Parade, McClure also suggested her party will likely be difficult public sector organizations that may need violated Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 by utilizing tax dollars to sponsor it.
The laws mandates that public authorities within the country will need to have due regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between people of varied religious beliefs.
The Belfast City Council and Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency are among the many “supporters and sponsors” of the Belfast Pride Festival, in keeping with the organization’s website.
“TUV will likely be difficult the general public sector bodies that used taxpayers’ money to buy a spot within the parade, asking how participation was compatible with each their Section 75 obligations to people of various religious beliefs and the requirement for an apolitical workplace,” she said.
“Belfast Pride cannot wash its hands of this attack on Christianity. Marshals were present along the route, and yet this individual was permitted to proceed.”
Founded in 1991, the Belfast Pride Parade is “the largest event of the yr for LGBTQIA+ people of Belfast,” in keeping with organizers with Belfast Pride.
“It is a protest and a celebration, a call for equality, a stand for solidarity and a celebration of the lives of LGBTQIA+ people in Belfast and beyond,” the organizers said.
Same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland became legal in 2020.
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