People back bakers’ conscience rights

A poll in the North has revealed massive levels of support for the owners of the Ashers Baking Company, in a week when Belfast County Court is to hear the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s (ECNI) case against the company. 

 

The survey, conducted by ComRes for the Christian Institute, interviewed 1,000 adults by telephone, and found that 77% of adults believe that Christian bakers who refuse to bake a cake bearing the words “support gay marriage” should not be taken to court. Ashers declined to decorate such a cake last year.

 

Only 27% of those polled said they believed the ECNI were right to take Ashers to court. 71% said they did not believe it should pursue Ashers Baking Company through the courts to set an example, and 77% said they did not believe it should spend public money on such a pursuit.

 

Daniel McArthur (pictured), Ashers general manager, said the company has had wide-ranging support over the last nine months, with the survey backing this up. 

 

“Whether people agree with our beliefs or not, we are delighted that they respect our right to express those beliefs and that’s what tolerance is all about,” he said.

 

Boosting those who would argue that freedoms of conscience and religion should be enshrined in law, 90% agreed that equality laws “should be used to protect people from discrimination and not to force people to say something they oppose”.