The Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow has condemned the disciplinary action taken against nine firefighters for refusing to hand out safety leaflets at a gay pride march.

Archbishop Mario Conti said the men had the right to obey their consciences, and described as "dismaying" the fact that Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service has ordered the nine officers to undergo diversity training.

Some of the crew involved argued that it would be embarrassing for them to turn up in uniform to the Pride Scotia rally in June, while others claimed it would contradict their moral beliefs.

One of the men involved, a watch manager, was reduced to the rank of crew manager, losing an estimated £5,000 in salary. The others have all received official written warnings about their behaviour.

The group, all from Glasgow’s Cowcaddens fire station, have also been ordered to attend the diversity training course as part of their punishment.

But Archbishop Conti said he understood the firefighters’ concerns, and he criticised the brigade. He said: "That the officers concerned are being forced to undergo diversity training’ is alarming. The duty to obey one’s conscience is a higher duty than that of obeying orders."

He added that the firefighters had not put people's lives at risk or showed lack of professionalism. "There was no question of these officers’ competency or commitment being called into question, nor was there any suggestion that they were refusing to come to the assistance of people in danger.

"They were asked, while in uniform, to hand out leaflets during a demonstration where they had legitimate concerns about being the subject of taunts and jokes and in which, in some cases, their religious sensibilities would have been grossly offended by people dressed as priests and nuns lampooning the church."

Fire chiefs said that the nine, members of Cowcaddens’ Red Watch, had now accepted that they should have performed their duties at the festival.

In a strongly worded statement, SFR said the officers’ refusal to hand out the leaflets represented a "fundamental breach of their core responsibilities", adding that they could not "pick and choose" to whom they offered safety advice.

The statement said: "Firefighters are well aware that fire prevention education and spreading the fire safety message is not a minor part of their job - it ranks alongside firefighting as a core, statutory duty.

"Strathclyde Fire and Rescue gives particular priority to community fire safety because of the urgent need to drive down casualty and fatality rates amongst our communities which still rank as the highest in the UK."

It added: "Firefighters cannot, and will not, pick and choose to whom they offer fire safety advice.

"Strathclyde Fire and Rescue has a responsibility to protect every one of the 2.3 million people it serves, irrespective of race, religion or sexuality."

Fire chiefs deliberated about the matter for several days after speaking to four of the men during a final hearing on Monday this week.

It followed another disciplinary session last month when the other five officers were questioned.

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