Tributes paid to Colin Hart, founder and director of Christian Institute and key supporter of Ashers Baking Company in 'gay cake' legal battle

He passed away at home last Wednesday of a suspected heart attack.

Gay rights activist Gareth Lee started legal action back in 2014 after a the Christian-run bakery in Belfast refused to make him a cake with the slogan "Support Gay Marriage".

The long running saga only ended in 2022 when the European Court of Human Rights ruled his case of discrimination was inadmissible.

The CI said Mr Hart was "very much" a key person in supporting Ashers through the seven year legal battle and was "closely involved in the case".

"It is with great sadness we write to inform you of the sudden death of Colin Hart, founder and Director of The Christian Institute." it said.

"After leaving his teaching job, Colin worked tirelessly for over 35 years to ensure that the Christian faith had a strong evangelical voice in the public square.

"The Christian Institute was founded in 1991 by Colin and other professionals and Christian church leaders. It is now one of the largest organisations representing evangelicals, with over 60,000 supporters throughout the UK.”

Deputy Director Simon Calvert said: “Colin’s sudden death came as such a shock to all of us. But we take comfort in knowing that he is now in the presence of the Saviour he has known by faith since he was a teenager. The staff of The Christian Institute are determined to uphold his legacy of Christian faithfulness in the public square.”

Mr Hart was born in West Sussex in 1963.

He studied Maths at Newcastle University and became a maths teacher in a secondary school in the area.

Together with John Burn, they had the idea for The Christian Institute and Colin left teaching in 1990 to set up the institute. He then became the Director and John Burn became the Chairman.

Activist Garreth Lee had tried to buy the cake from Ashers in Belfast in 2014, but it declined to supply it.

He was supported in taking a case of discrimination against the bakery by the Equality Commission while the Christian Institute supported Ashers.

Mr Lee won his original case and a subsequent appeal in the UK courts, but in 2018 the UK Supreme Court disagreed with the lower courts and found in favour of the bakery.

In 2022 the European court ruled Mr Lee's case inadmissible, saying he had failed to raise his human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights in the UK courts.

Mr Lee said the refusal of the bakery made him feel “unworthy” and like “a lesser person” however the CI said the final outcome upheld the McArthurs’ human rights to freedom of expression and religion.

In 2019 Mr Hart said they would not be seeking costs from the Equality Commission after the Supreme Court decided in favour of Ashers.

He said the CI, Ashers and their lawyers decided not to seek costs because it "does not want an unhelpful precedent in relation to costs - even if it might benefit in the short term".

Mr Hart said the "generosity" of CI supporters had ensured Ashers were not "out of pocket".

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