Poetry reading cancelled after Christian Voice threat

In The Western Mail, Steffan Rhys reports on Waterstones cancelling a reading by the poet Patrick Jones following plans for a protest by Christian Voice. Jones said:

“I’m proud of this book There are poems about the state of society, poems about war.

“I also exercise the right to free speech and criticise certain religious practices like female circumcision, George Bush’s use of religion, as well as Christians’ treatment of homosexuality and the treatment of women, especially in Islam and Catholicism.

“People have obviously felt threatened about this and activated a religious protest and Waterstone’s have bowed to it.”

Waterstone’s spokesman John Howells said: “We have cancelled the planned event involving Patrick Jones this evening at our Cardiff Hayes branch as we felt it was not appropriate to go ahead in the light of potential disruption.

“However, his book remains available at the store.”