AUSTRALIA: Federal Policitians Cancel Speeches To World Congress Of Families

Virtually all federal politicians in Australia have now cancelled their plans to attend the World Congress of Families convention after it was announced that the event would be hosted by the far-right After The Fire Ministries, a group which recently claimed that God sent devastating wildfires to the state of Victoria in anger over the legalization of abortion.

Kevin Andrews’ decision not to speak at the controversial World Congress of Families conference is a cop out, the event’s new host says. The Social Services Minister [pictured] and Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark today cancelled their speeches on the eve of the Melbourne conference — run by pro-family religious body the World Congress of Families — because it’s now being hosted by the right-wing Christian group Catch the Fire Ministries. The evangelical group is hosting the conference after three other venues refused to hold it, with critics attacking the World Congress of Families because of its stance against gay marriage and claims of links between breast cancer and abortion. Mr Andrews has been under unprecedented and sustained pressure to pull out but attacked the “intolerance” of the “Greens and the left” for trying to shut the forum down as he confirmed he would not attend. “The calls for me not to attend demonstrate the intolerance of the Greens and the left — instead of arguing their case in the public arena, they seek to shut down debate,” Mr Andrews said.“Equally, I cannot support intolerance from other quarters. As I have been informed today that the event is now to be hosted by Catch the Fire, I have decided not to attend.”Mr Andrews said he would release the speech he planned to give at the event.

The location of the convention, which begins tomorrow, has not been disclosed. More from the Sydney Morning Herald:

The political arm of Catch the Fire Ministries is the Rise Up Australia party led by Danny Nalliah. Mr Nalliah said Mr Andrews' withdrawal from the conference on the grounds that it was being hosted by his organisation was a "cop out". "I think the real reason that he is pulling out is because of the protests," he said. "I think you just look for a scapegoat to try and get out of the situation. I'm not surprised in that sense because our politicians are gutless." Mr Nalliah said several senior Coalition figures had addressed Catch The Fire functions in the past. He said as prime minister John Howard had recorded a message for a Catch The Fire event, while former treasurer Peter Costello and former deputy prime ministers John Anderson and Mark Vaile, as well as former governor-general Peter Hollingworth had spoken at Catch The Fire functions while in office.

The controversy over the convention has earned daily national headlines across Australia. We need to make very sure that the exact same thing happens next year when the convention comes to Salt Lake City.


(Tipped by JMG readers Str8 Grandmother, Lezhow, Michael, and Ken)

AUSTRALIA: Anti-Gay Coalition Faces Cancelation Of Its Convention Venues

The World Congress of Families will hold its annual convention in Melbourne, Australia next week - that is, if their venues don't cancel on them.

The letter on the WCF website has been written to respond to what it claims has been “unremitting and grossly misleading attacks” in the lead-up to Saturday’s conference at St Cecilia’s school hall. “Sexual radicals have launched a smear campaign to discredit the Melbourne conference, which misrepresents the international pro-family movement and the positions of the World Congress of Families,” it reads. The letter has been signed by 80 prominent pro-life people including the former US presidential candidate and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Several Australian politicians have been criticised for supporting the WCF’s conference, including Senior Coalition Minister Eric Abetz who defended some of the groups more spurious claims, such as discredited links between abortion and breast cancer.

In addition to Huckabee, WCF's complaint letter is signed by Brian Brown, Matt Barber, Mat Staver, Rick Scarborough, former GOP House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Janice Crouse, and a galaxy of hate group leaders from around the world. The WCF's 2015 convention is planned for Salt Lake City. (Tipped by JMG reader Gregory)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In March of this year, WCF was forced to cancel their conference at the Kremlin due to the conflict in Crimea. In November 2013, US House Speaker John Boehner provided federal office space to the World Congress of Families after Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) had them booted out of the space they had reserved in the Senate office building. The WCF has colluded with NOM president Brian Brown in furthering Russia's pogrom of hate and violence against LGBT people. In September 2013, the WCF colluded with local neo-Nazis to successfully pressure the Serbian government to ban Belgrade Pride for the third year in a row.  In 2012 WCF leader Austin Ruse, who is also a Breitbart columnist, spoke at CPAC where he denounced the United Nations for a resolution that condemned the "extrajudicial executions" of LGBT people. Ruse is the president of C-FAM, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. Also in 2012, the WCF protested against the US Embassy in Prague for its support of local gay pride events. Signees of a letter to the government were a virtual who's who of hate.

World Cup Jesus Sparks Outrage

As the World Cup prepares to start in Rio De Janeiro, an Australian betting site is floating a massive hot air balloon in the shape of the iconic Christ The Redeemer statue in the skies of Melbourne. Local Christian groups are outraged:

"This is extraordinary, if they knew anything about Jesus they'd know he'd be overturning tables in the gaming halls, because they're highly addictive and destroy lives," the Chair of Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce told ABC. "Is betting to absolutely dominate not just casino and gamble areas and TV rooms, but now literally the sky?" he asked. Rev Costello has since called on the Football Federation Australia (FFA) to call out the controversial campaign. "One of the great statues in Rio is Jesus, and Brazil is a Catholic nation that takes its faith seriously and its football fanatically," he said.

Australia's top news site reacts:

Christ! That was unexpected. If you woke up in Melbourne this morning and noticed a 12-story inflatable Christ the Redeemer balloon floating over your house, you weren’t hallucinating. You were, however, witnessing one of the most audacious public relations stunts we’ve seen in ages. Predictably, this stunt has incurred great indignation from religious groups and assorted members of the professionally outraged. The link between gambling and religion is being labelled offensive and disrespectful by politicians and church spokespeople. Never mind that gambling is rammed down society’s throat every day on the footy field and just about everywhere else. Associate Jesus with it, courtesy of a giant novelty balloon flying by the window, and it’s apparently much worse.

At 150 feet high, the balloon is bigger than the statue.