Issue With Kirpan

[singhni]

Vaheguru ji ka khalsa Vaheguru ji ki fateh!!

Sangat ji, i thought i should let you know about an issue that arose yesterday. I went to wimbledon to see the tennis. After queing up we had to go through tight securtiy before entering the grounds. The security was tighter than airport security. There was bleep machine thingy and people carrying out searches. So i went through the security thingy and it started bleeping as usual. Staff took me to one side and began searching me. The lady who was searching me felt my kirpan. She pulled away my sweatshirt to find what she thought was a dagger. She grabbed onto my arms to prevent me from moving them and pushed me to the side, still holding on to my arms keeping them away from my body. SHe was shouting oh my gosh shes got a dagger theres an incident here and she was sounding very panicked. Im sure she thought i was a terrorist, the way she manhandled me. She told everyone to move well away from me and then other staff in higher position came and dealt with the issue.

The woman was so uninformed about sikhs, i dont even think she knew i was a sikh i think she must have thought i was a muslim. and she called police that were on grounds to deal with me. The poilceman thankfully knew about the five k's and knew that iw as premitted to wear it in a public place. Yet the woman still said she didnt want me coming in and she said that i cannot carry a weapon into wimbledon etc.

I said you are simply not allowed to stop me from entering and i quoted the criminal justice act and offensive weapons act, yet they thought i was simply making this all up. I then waited on the side while the police officer called someone else and then he said-There is no problem with you entering, you can take your dagger off and then pick up it up on the way back. I said there is absolutely no way i am doing that and you have no right to make me take it off. I am going to stand here. So then the policeman called someone else and after quite a while he realised that he could not prevent me from going in.

This was a relief and i made my way to the wimbledon grounds with the woman who first searched me shouting- But i havnt finished searching her i have to look in her hat she might have something. At the time the poiliceman was rather embarassed and told me to carry on walking. I am in the process of writing a letter to wimbledon regarding the woman who manhandled me.

The reason im telling the sangat about this incident is to remind you that we do have rights and can wear our kirpan in public places- to work,etc. There are to many sikhs remvoing their kirpan simpy because they have been told to, espcially in the workplace. This is not allowed.You have to stick up for yoursleves.

The acts below clearly state that we are allowed to wear the kirpan, as it comes under the umbrella of religous symbols.

The Criminal Justice Act (1988); Section 139

Offence of having article with blade or point in public place.

139.—(1) Subject to subsections (4) and (5) below, any person who has an article to which this section applies with him in a public place shall be guilty of an offence.

(2) Subject to subsection (3) below, this section applies to any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except a folding pocketknife.

(3) This section applies to a folding pocketknife if the cutting edge of its blade exceeds 3 inches.

(4) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had good reason or lawful authority for having the article with him in a public place.

(5) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) above, it shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had the article with him—

(a) for use at work;

(b) for religious reasons; or© as part of any national costume.

(6) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) above shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(7) In this section "public place" includes any place to which at the material time the public have or are permitted access, whether on payment or otherwise.

(8) This section shall not have effect in relation to anything done before it comes into force.

Vaheguru ji ka khalsa Vaheguru ji ki fateh

[lowest of the low singhni]

Thanks for letting us know about this incident Bhenji. :TH:

[Guest Akirtghan]

where was that? US? :umm:

[lowest of the low singhni]

Wimbledon. Tennis competition? Big thing. UK.

[Guest Akirtghan]

hey, i dont watch tennis man. i do know what wimbledon is, just wasn't sure where it happened.

[B4ND4]

Bibi :umm:

[Revolutionary]

hey, i dont watch tennis man. i do know what wimbledon is, just wasn't sure where it happened.

It happened in wimbledon

[Guest Akirtghan]

o tu bahut bolda aaj kal, tera number menu launa pena, LOL

and where as in which city, country

[lowest of the low singhni]

Wimbledon is a city Ji.

[Guest Akirtghan]

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

damnnnnnnn now i feel like a dumb arse : :umm::

ummm ok so my geography isn't great but w/v. i was always under the impression that the tournament's name was wimbledon and not the city *DOH*