Minister sues hotel for shutting down marriage seminar

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A Christian minister is suing a hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, after staff interrupted his seminar promoting traditional marriage and expelled attendees from the building.

The U.K.'s Christian Institute is supporting Rev. Harry Coulter of Carrickfergus Reformed Church in his dispute with the Balmoral Hotel.

He had reserved a room for a "Marriage Matters" event, which, among other topics, addressed the imposition of same-sex marriage on Northern Ireland.

"Halfway through, his meeting was interrupted by hotel staff demanding he bring it to an end, citing a complaint from another patron," the institute said.

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Attendees, the minister and keynote speaker Tony Rucinski were forced out of the building.

There was no response from the hotel to Coulter's written request for an explanation and compensation.

The institute's deputy director for public affairs, Simon Calvert, said: "For the hotel to take Mr. Coulter’s booking, take his money, provide signage and set up the event, only to stop it halfway through, causing maximum inconvenience and embarrassment, is an outrage.

"We've got to put an end to what we consider to be attempts to punish people for believing in one man-one woman marriage. After all, it's what most people believed in until recently."

The The Belfast Telegraph reported the hotel said it was closed and unable to comment on such matters.