Patrick Stewart has backed the Northern Ireland bakery that refused to bake a cake promoting gay marriage, saying people should not be forced to write messages they disagree with.
Ashers Bakery was fined £500 last month after it refused to bake a cake bearing the words “support gay marriage” for a gay rights activist. The text was supposed to be accompanied by a picture of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie.
The McArthur family who own the bakery are appealing the decision.
Although many said the ruling was a victory for “equal rights”, Patrick Stewart told BBC Newsnight: “Finally I found myself on the side of the bakers.”
He told BBC Newsnight: “It was not because it was a gay couple that they objected, it was not because they were celebrating some sort of marriage or an agreement between them.
“It was the actual words on the cake they objected to. Because they found the words offensive.”
“I would support their rights to say no, this is personally offensive to my beliefs, I will not do it,” he said.
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