David Silvester
David Silvester is an English local politician, formerly of the Conservative Party and the UK Independence Party. He is a town councillor for Henley-on-Thames.[1]
Political career
Silvester worked for Shell and was elected to the town's council after his retirement. Originally a member of the Conservative Party, he joined UKIP in 2013, in protest against Prime Minister David Cameron's support for same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, which Silvester claimed was in defiance of the Coronation Oath Act 1688.[2]
Controversy
In January 2014, Silvester received national media attention in the United Kingdom after a letter to the Henley Standard in which he said that the floods that hit the UK in 2013 were God's punishment for the introduction of gay marriage.[3] Subsequently, he also said that homosexuality was a "spiritual disease" and should be healed. UKIP suspended him from the party on 19 January 2014.[4] His comments prompted a Facebook campaign by gay activists to send the popular anthem "It's Raining Men" to UK number one.[5]
References
- ↑ "Councillors". henleytowncouncil.gov.uk.
- ↑ "UKIP councillor says God sent storms which battered Britain because David Cameron allowed gay marriage to be legalised". Daily Mail. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "UK storms are divine retribution for gay marriage laws, says Ukip councillor". The Guardian. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Ukip suspends councillor who claimed floods were caused by gay marriage". The Guardian. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ Morse, Felicity (21 January 2014). "Facebook campaign launched to get 'It's Raining Men' to number 1 after Ukip councillor blames floods on gay marriage". The Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2014.