24 January 2010

Vicar uses police to stifle blogger

I will be honest and state absolutely that I had not come across the Reverend Stephen Sizer before and I had never previously visited the blog Seismic Shock.

Before going into details I wish I had not come across the former while the latter has certainly been the victim of a malicious complaint which involved him receiving a visit from the police.

The following is taken from a post by Seismic Shock at Engage Online.

Seismic Shock had placed previously posted on a number of occasions about Sizer stating with very good evidence that Sizer “forwards emails from Holocaust deniers, shares platforms with Holocaust deniers, and flaunted his anti-Zionist theology before Iran’s apocalyptic Holocaust-denying regime? “ Here is Sizer on Iranian tv:


Both Sizer and also Lecturer Anthony McRoy, who had lectured at a theological conference in Iran (go to the Engage article for the link) took umbrage at the statements about their links tosome extremely unsavoury characters.

“At 10am on Sunday 29th November 2009, I received a visit from two policemen regarding my activities in running the Seismic Shock blog. A sergeant from the Horsforth Police related to me that he had received complaints via Surrey Police from Rev Sizer and from Dr Anthony McRoy – a lecturer at the Wales Evangelical School of Theology – who both objected to being associated with terrorists and Holocaust deniers.

The sergeant made clear that this was merely an informal chat, in which I agreed to delete my original blog (http://seismicshock.blogspot.com/) but maintain my current one (http://seismicshock.wordpress.com)....

.... With my research on Reverend Sizer’s associations with terrorists and Holocaust deniers making its way into a publication of the Society of Biblical Literature, I was quite content to hold my peace. However, now that Reverend Sizer is now misrepresenting what has happened in my case in order to intimidate others, now is the time to speak up.

A Christian blogger – “Vee” of LivingJourney, who is based in Australia – linked to my blog as a resource for Christians to learn about anti-Semitism in the Church, including “lots of info on Stephen Sizer and Sabeel”.

Rev Sizer left her this comment:

Dear Vee,

You must take a little more care who you brand as anti-semitic otherwise you too will be receiving a caution from the police as the young former student of Leeds did recently. One more reference to me and you will be reported.

Blessings
Stephen

Why is Reverend Sizer claiming that I received a police caution, when the police stressed I did not receive a caution? Is Sizer deliberately misrepresenting the same police force that he originally used to his advantage?

Who is Reverend Sizer reporting to, and why does Reverend Sizer genuinely feel he has the power to close down debate by threatening police action? Why call the cops rather than answer his critics?

Political and theological disagreements should never be accompanied with threats of litigation or police action, but instead with logic and open debate.

I wholeheartedly agree with Seismic Shock’s last final statement. Personally I find it disgraceful that Sizer had chosen to intimidate a blogger in such a way, especially when the blogger has good evidence to substantiate his claims.

Here’s hoping that Sizer’s idiotic action and veiled anti-semitism come back to bite him hard

My thanks to Modernity and Snoopy for drawing my attention to this disgraceful affair

11 comments:

jams o donnell said...

Well said Pouty!

ModernityBlog said...

Jams,

I hope that your american readers/bloggers will publicise Rev. Sizer's use of the police to silence a blogger.

I think Americans may understand the issues around freedom of speech a bit better than Brits or Europeans.

jams o donnell said...

Here's hoping!

beakerkin said...

Jams

Is it my imagination, but it seems the far left never seems subjected to these laws.

jams o donnell said...

Not quite Beakerkin.. the ridiculous case of Johannna Kasche and her libel claim against a number of labour bloggers shows that the left are not immune... That said Kaschke's suit was idiotic in the extreme

Liz Hinds said...

I like the way he signs off: blessings.

I am ashamed of him.

jams o donnell said...

He's a disgrace Liz

Steve Hayes said...

It seems to me that if he feels he has been libelled, he should sue for defamation. If he disagrees with the blogger, then he can argue right back. But setting the police on people is not merely ridiculously over the top, it is also wasting the police's time -- the police surely have better things to do.

But I wonder why the bloke deleted his blog, and what the police would have done if he hadn't. Would they have prosecuted him? Under what law? One expects such things in a police state, but perhaps that is what Britain is becoming.

jams o donnell said...

Sizer should not have gotten the police involved. but perhaps he knew full well that he had no case for defamation as he does swim in the samew waters as some very vile people.

THat the police accepted the complaint and that Seismic shcok deleted one of his blogs was a disgrace too

ModernityBlog said...

Seismic Shock the Video is out.

http://modernityblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/seismic-shock-the-video/

Please do, embed it and pass it on

Cheers :)

jams o donnell said...

Already done!