Anger at US mixed marriage ‘ban’:
A white US justice of the peace has been criticised for refusing to issue marriage licences to mixed-race couples. Keith Bardwell, of Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana, denied racism but said mixed-race children were not readily accepted by their parents’ communities.A couple he refused to marry are considering filing a complaint about him to the US Justice Department. Mr Bardwell said he had often conducted the weddings of his black friends.
Mr Bardwell, who has worked in the role for 34 years, said that in his experience most interracial marriages did not last very long and estimated that he had refused applications to four couples in the past two-and-a-half years.
He said he had “piles and piles of black friends” but just did not believe in “mixing the races”.
