Manic Street Preacher “Eats Witches For Breakfast”

The doors finally opened to let us in at 830, and I finally got to the counter at about 910 am. The cause of this unacceptable delay? The SARS staff “write exams” on Wednesdays! Seriously? Why can’t they write their exams after hours instead of inconveniencing the public who has been standing in the street for 2 hours??? I have better things to do than to waste my time waiting for them – and in fact I was 1 of around 100 people who had better things to do than to waste their time waiting for them!

The second thing was the absolute incompetence of the SARS security officials. While I was waiting in the queue this morning, a man stopped where the queue turned the corner to the last stretch of the line to the door. He was dressed in a suit and asked in general if he could share a message from the bible with us.

I objected aloud and said “No thank you, I’m not a Christian.” The man ignored me and began to preach a sermon about sin and the usual tripe spouted by these types of manic street preacher anyway.

I objected, pointing out (to him and to the others in the line who didn’t seem to like the fact that I had objected) that I have a right to not have someone else’s religion forced on me in a public space – and that he has the right to preach in a church or home group or wherever, not in public. I was ignored and the man continued. I called for the security guards from SARS to intervene, but they completely ignored me, turning their heads away so they did not look at me. I called aloud repeatedly and they pointedly ignored me, all 6 of them. One of the people standing beside me told me if I didn’t like it, I had a choice to not listen to it. I then pointed out that the only way I could do that was to leave the que and lose my place – so how was that a choice?

The next thing, this preacher starts on about ‘the evils and dangers of witchcraft’, and witches bringing misfortune to people. I then challenged him – pointing out to him that I am a Witch, and that he is talking a load of nonsense. He then had the arrogance to remark to me “I eat witches for breakfast!” to which I dared him to try. He avoided the challenge, continuing his diatribe of slander against witches. I tried again to call the SARS security officials, who continued to ignore me.

Someone else told me I “should have respect” – I pointed out that I and my beliefs were being disrespected, as well as those of anyone else there who happened to not be Christian – and that the public space is not for religious preaching and evangelizing and that if they wanted to waffle on about converting witches to Christianity, they can go do it in the appropriate places of worship!

When the official came to hand out numbers to us, the manic street preacher cut his story short and prepared to leave, thanking his captive audience for listening. I gave him a parting shot to say “Don’t thank me for listening – you went ahead knowing I didn’t want to listen!”

A little later, when the queue got separated into groups, I found out that a police (SAPS) Captain was in the queue as well – and had done nothing about this. What a shameful abdication of his mandated social responsibilities!

I am outraged that the Bill of Rights and Constitutional protections of the right to the individual to not have other people’s religions forced on them in public spaces, has been completely ignored. I am wholly offended and royally pissed off.

I do not force my religious beliefs on other people, I do not evangelize my spirituality, or try to convert others to my religion. – but when some wannabe pulpit pilot comes along to wave his crooked little finger in my face, threaten me and slander my religion – and I get told by ignorant sheeple in the line to “show respect” and “just don’t listen” – then that’s when the claws and fangs come out, buddy.

I did fill out 2 complaints in the complaints book (since there was nobody behind the complaints counter – not really surprised, go figure) about this affront.

When I finally left at 0925am, and walked out into the street, the same guy was back, walking up and down, bellowing at the meek and silent crowd to “repent!” and to “give your lives to Jeeeeeesus!” FFS. I wanted to call the cops – but the last time I did a few years ago, about a crowd of loonies like this in Rink Street intimidating passers-by, I was ignored, and probably even laughed at.

This is what you get when a constitution that protects people’s religious rights and protects people from other people’s religious beliefs is ignored to suit whoever is in power.

I have nothing good to say about the experience – other than that it reminded me, again, of why Canada looks better and better every fucking day. Over there, religious nuts mind their p’s and q’s – and would get arrested for trying to force their whiny ignorant puritanical bullshit on other people who are there to sort out their taxes, not to be proselytized at by halfwits in snappy suits, with tiny dicks and big mouths.