BRITAIN: Trial Begins For Men Charged With "Death To Gays" Leafletting

Five British men begin their trial today for handing out "death to gays" leaflets outside of a mosque in the city of Derby. The leaflets were also placed in some home mailboxes. The men are the first to be tried under Britain's revised Public Order Act, which since 2008 outlaws inflaming hatred based on sexual orientation.

At a crown court, they face up to seven years in prison and an unlimited fine. Sue Hemming, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said last year: “The charges relate to the distribution of a leaflet, ‘The Death Penalty?’, outside the Jamia Mosque in Derby in July 2010 and through letterboxes during the same month. “This is the first-ever prosecution for this offence and it is the result of close working between the Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Police.”

The United States has no comparable law to Britain's Public Order Act.