Franklin Graham: Liverpool mayor wants preacher's ads removed from buses

An advert for an event by US evangelist Franklin Graham is "hate speech" and should be removed from Liverpool's buses, the city region's mayor said.

Steve Rotheram said he was angry about a "known hate preacher" being promoted on Stagecoach and Arriva vehicles.

Mr Graham, who previously said gay marriage was a "sin", is touring the UK and is due in Liverpool on 14 May.

Arriva Bus UK said while the promotion adhered to advertising rules, it was reviewing its internal policies.

A Stagecoach spokesperson also that its adverts adhere "to relevant advertising standards".

Mr Rotheram has written to the bus firms, calling for the adverts' immediate removal.

In the letter, he said his region would "never give in to those who seek to divide us".

"To say that I'm angry that the views of a known hate preacher - who has an appalling track record of homophobic and Islamophobic views - are being displayed anywhere in our city region would be an understatement," he said.

He added that displaying the preacher's views on buses used by people who "belong to the very communities that Mr Graham directs his bigotry and bile towards" was "inexcusable".

Mr Graham, the eldest son of the late preacher Billy Graham, is known for his controversial views.

When asked about them by the BBC during a UK visit in 2018, he said he believes "marriage is for a man and a woman and that is what the Bible teaches us", adding same-sex weddings were a "sin".

He denied he was promoting "hateful speech", adding: "I'm not coming out of hate, I'm coming out of love."

A spokeswoman for Arriva Bus UK said: "We take our responsibility in the local community very seriously and we share the mayor's view that no one should ever feel uncomfortable travelling by public transport and there is no place for discrimination of any form in a civil society.

"While this particular advert does meet the Advertising Standards Authority standard, we have decided to review our internal policies to ensure they robustly reflect the inclusive values and principles of our organisation."

Mr Graham is due to speak at the ACC Liverpool venue.

A previous event at the venue was cancelled in 2020 after the firm which runs it said they had been "made aware of a number of statements which we consider to be incompatible with our values".

Following Mr Rotheram's letter, a spokeswoman for the ACC Liverpool Group said "we do not support or condone" the preacher and explained that they had chosen in 2020 to "to challenge the original event taking place in the format proposed".

She said the venue had since "received satisfactory assurances from the organisers of the event that The Reverend Franklin Graham's message will not be discriminatory, disrespectful or negative towards any particular communities, groups or individuals".

The venue, whose sole shareholder is Liverpool City Council, said it would set set up a community advisory group to formally engage with groups in the area.

It is not the first time bus adverts for the preacher's events have caused problems.

In 2018, Blackpool Borough Council and Blackpool Transport Services removed bus adverts for an evangelical rally featuring Mr Graham.

A judge later ruled that the ban had disregarded "the right to freedom of expression" and breached the Human Rights Act.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]