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Church pastor contacted by police after social media post celebrating cancellation of gay pride event

Josh Williamson, 34, of Newquay Baptist Church was spoken to by police (Picture: Facebook)
Josh Williamson, 34, of Newquay Baptist Church was spoken to by police. (Facebook)

A church pastor has been contacted by police after he celebrated the cancellation of a gay pride event.

Josh Williamson, 34, of Newquay Baptist Church, in Cornwall, sparked anger when he shared a local news article about Rainbow Fest being cancelled in August, adding 'hallelujah!' to the post.

He then stated during a prayer session, he and others had asked for the event to be cancelled, and “also prayed the Lord would save the organiser”.

His Facebook posts received several negative comments from the LGBTQ+ community, and others.

And in response to the criticism, Pastor Williamson went on to say how there was “no such thing as a gay Christian”.

Read more: How members of the LGBT+ community are celebrating Pride in London

Mr Williamson sparked anger when he shared a local news article about the pride event being cancelled (Picture: Facebook)
Pastor Williamson sparked anger when he shared a local news article about the pride event being cancelled (Picture: Facebook)

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they had “spoken to all parties involved” and given advice but the matter was not taken forward.

A police spokesperson said: “Following concerns expressed between individuals from the community, and subsequent tensions, police officers have spoken to all parties involved and advice has been given.

“There are no other associated, ongoing policing matters.”

The original post from Pastor Williamson read: "Hallelujah!!

"We prayed at our prayer meeting on Tuesday night that this event would be cancelled. We also prayed the Lord would save the organisers.

"One prayer answered, now we wait for the next prayer to be answered."

The post is just one of many on Pastor Williamson's Facebook page that exhibit orthodox Christian values.

His views were condemned as "outdated" and met with outrage online.

Read more: Tokyo highlights LGBTQ rights before Olympics with Pride House

Following the backlash, a statement was released on behalf of the pastor, which claimed to have been the victim of hateful and threatening messages.

A spokesperson from Cornwall Pride said: “We all have to be open to different opinions and views from many groups and many people.

“However, when opinions and comments are as negative as the ones shared, they become both harmful and damaging to our community.

“Even though these were harmful comments, we as a charity and as a community need to uphold the right process and support the wider community.”