Clive Solomon's plight in Wanganui

[Des]

Clive Solomon is an elected member of the Wanganui District Council.
When a Wanganui ratepayer wrote to him to ask why the Council meetings
still opened with a Christian prayer, Clive raised the matter formally
in Council. A motion to remove the prayer from the agenda was lost by
12-1. Clive has objected that the prayer is contrary to the
provisions of the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights, but his
opponents insist on majority rule whenever he raises the issue, as he
does at every meeting. The Human Rights Commission has tries to
mediate but with limited success. Recent votes on the prayer issue
have shown increasing support for a secular approach, but the majority
remain in favour of retaining the prayer.
It is interesting to note that a few years ago the Council dropped the
Lord's Prayer in favour of the current version, which was written to
be more inclusive. However they seem determined not to extend this
courtesy to the non-religious.

Clive Solomon needs our support. The main battleground seems to be
the pages of the Wanganui Chronicle, where the editorial position is
hostile to Clive. To read an example of an editorial and online
comments, you can visit this link:
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/flying-on-a-whinge-and-a-prayer/1257352/

[Des]

In a decision that could have huge implications for Clive Solomon’s
case in Wanganui, a High Court in the UK has ruled that a Devon town
council acted unlawfully by allowing prayers to be said before
meetings. Source - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-16989232

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