by Thinus Ferreira
Bordering on the ridiculously absurd and fully in the realm of shamelessly wasting (parents' school fees?) money, the Bishops Diocesan College's Old Diocesan Committee is now threatening South African actor Anton Taylor with "cease and desist" legal action, for speaking out in social videos against their attempts to prevent the hoisting of the gay Pride flag at the Cape Town school.
While South Africa's constitution guarantees freedom of speech, Bishops' Old Diocesan Committee (ODC) used criminal defence lawyer William Booth to send Anton Taylor, an actor who is active on social media, a threatening "cease and desist" letter.
In the letter, the demand is that he retracts "false and defamatory allegations", stop demanding that old boys committee members resign, and threatening him that he might face interdicts, protection orders, defamation damages and even criminal complaints.
Criminal complaints?
William Booth warned Anton Taylor in the letter "the deadline is final" - which was 1 October 2026.
Anton Taylor isn't having any of it and, through his legal representation, Cheadle Thompson & Haysom, is accusing Bishops Diocesan College's Old Diocesan Committee of doing what is known as "SLAPP" in America: Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation.
It means somebody is taking some type of legal action, trying to silence someone's public criticism with the threat of legal action.
Bishops Diocesan College's Old Diocesan Committee is fighting with the comedian - himself an alumnus of the school and a former Old Diocesan Union (ODU) vice-chairperson - after it told the school's council it wants a "flag policy" for the school under which only the Bishops' school flag and Anglican communion flags would be allowed to be hoisted on the school grounds.
Bishops has hoisted the Pride flag since 2022 as part of the school's display to support themes of diversity.
Anton Taylor has been vocal in his social media videos about Bishops' ODC discriminatory behaviour and said he wants the committee to resign, or that he will help organise a no-confidence vote to help get rid of them and have them replaced.
His legal team told the legal team of the Bishops Diocesan College's Old Diocesan Committee that the comedian has "not made any false, misleading or defamatory statements and that the threatened legal proceedings will constitute an abuse of process designed to undermine the lawful procedures in terms of the constitution of the Old Diocesan Union".
Taylor "condemned the ODC's opposition to the Pride flag as discriminatory, cowardly and inconsistent with both Bishops' values and those of the Anglican Church. Our client encouraged present pupils and alumni to support gay students and speak openly about homophobia, racism and alleged historical abuse at schools."
