You have to agree with me, Peter Black is nothing if not consistent when it comes to the question of free speech. Black, who was the Lib Dem AM for the South Wales West Region until 2016, made waves a decade or so ago when he co-sponsored an event at the Senedd. Author Patrick Jones was invited to read from a collection of poems some of which some Christians found ‘obscene and blasphemous.’ Black, it was reported, wanted to make sure that the poet was not ‘gagged.’

“I felt very strongly that no organisation should be able to intimidate and force the cancellation of a reading of this sort,” he said at the time. “This is a democratic society, with freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and people shouldn’t be intimidated into giving that up. The Welsh Assembly is the home of Welsh democracy, so it seemed highly appropriate to do a reading here.”

And now he has waded in to defend the right of UKIP AM Gareth Bennett to voice his highly contentious opinion that we are ‘endlessly acceding to the demands of minorities,’ giving examples of transgender people to illustrate his point.

This resulted in the Presiding Officer telling Bennett that he would be no-platformed. Put simply that means he will not be called upon to speak for the duration of 2018 until he apologises and withdraws his remarks. She cited the use of ‘deviation from the norm’ as being particularly hateful to transgender people.

Black has no sympathy either with Bennett’s party or his controversial opinions. In fact he has gone so far as to say: “As anybody who has read this blog will know, I detest UKIP and all their works.” But Black is convinced that genuine freedom of speech must include the right to upset and to offend people. As he explained: “Once people are allowed to apply their own subjective values to others then we are on a slippery slope to censorship and dictatorship.”

In saying this, I am reliably informed that Peter Black is simply echoing a leading judge who said of Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights: “Free speech includes not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome, and the provocative provided it does not tend to provoke violence. Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having.”

Now I don’t try to upset anyone, but I can’t ignore the fact that some of the things I say have proved deeply offensive for the past two thousand years. We do well to remember, for example, that Jesus was crucified for what He said. The apostle Paul offended many a synagogue congregation by claiming Jesus was their rightful Messiah. And countless Christians were put to death because they refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord.

It’s no different today. Persecution is a constant factor of church life in many parts of the world, and even in our so-called liberal democracy there are those who get very hot under the collar when I quote the words of Jesus ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ And try telling them that some forms of (sexual) behavior are ‘sinful’. That’s really is asking for trouble! Perhaps this helps you understand why I am thankful for the Peter Blacks of this world.

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]