Evangelist Franklin Graham is finding it difficult to find a venue in London to host his event in the city as a part of his British tour. Over 8,000 people signed a petition pleading with event promotors in the United Kingdom to squash Graham’s appearance in London.
Coordinated by the advocacy group All Out, the petition stated:
US preacher Franklin Graham travels around the world telling tens of thousands of people that Satan runs the LGBT+ movement. He persuades audiences that LGBT+ people don’t deserve to have families. He stands on stages in huge arenas warning people of the consequences of being gay, threatening impressionable young people with the ‘flames of hell’.
The petition goes on to claim the O2 Arena would play host to Graham’s event. Yet, when approached by a reporter from Newsweek, an O2 representative explained Graham might have been interested in the venue for his event, but there was no contract for the event nor would there be.
This isn’t the first venue to refuse Graham. An event planned for June 12 in Liverpool was aborted when objectors revealed the preacher’s disposition on the LGBT+ community to the event coordinators at ACC Liverpool.
Graham, a fierce ally of President Donald Trump, posted a response to the LGBT community in the UK on his Facebook page:
Sources: Newsweek, All Out, Franklin Graham Official Facebook Page
Never heard of this deluded man but honestly I can’t wait to hear more about how I am a sinner and heading towards spiritual death. You must be seriously twisted if you believe that this kind of freedom of speech is a message of love and hope. Indeed a piece of shit who lacks the understanding or is just absolute arrogant in what immense damage his cruel religious speech will do. As an O2 Venue is makes sense that you don’t want to lend your name to such a shameful evangelical event.