Free speech gets trumped in Sweden...

I may hate what he says, but I think he has the right to say it.

A high profile case that pitches Sweden's laws on protection of minority groups against those concerning freedom of speech began its final round in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Pastor Åke Green, who, in a sermon delivered in 2003, said that homosexuality is "a cancer on the body of society", is being tried under Swedish laws banning 'agitation against minority groups'.

Initially, he was sentenced to a month in prison by a Kalmar court. The Appeal Court in Jönköping overturned the verdict, only for the prosecutor to take the case to the country's highest court.

The pastor arrived in good time for Wednesday's hearing and chatted beforehand with both journalists and supporters, including a pair of bikers from the "Holy Riders" group, who unveiled a banner with the text "Defend religious freedom!".

Although there was not the same crowd which gathered for Green's appeal, the pastor said that he had strong support.

"Just wait until four o'clock this evening when everyone arrives in buses from across the country," he said.

"Then you'll see the support - I'm not too worried about it."

Green has said that if the Supreme Court reinstates the original guilty verdict, he would rather serve his sentence in prison than do community service.

"Then I want to demonstrate how far Sweden has come from the Sweden which people want. I believe that people should have the opportunity to speak of their convictions without ending up in jail and I want to show how insane the situation has become."