THE founder of a religion inspired by the Star Wars films was thrown out of a supermarket for refusing to remove his hood, AOL reported on Tuesday. Daniel Jones, head of the 500,000-strong Half a million what?
International Church of Jediism, was asked to leave the Tesco supermarket in Bangor, North Wales as his attire was deemed to be in violation of Tesco's rules, which forbid the wearing of 'hoodies' while in the supermarket.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'll have to ask you to leave. You're just too funny looking."
Mr Jones, who also goes by the Jedi name Morda Hehol, claimed he was 'victimised over his beliefs' and left 'emotionally humiliated' when staff deemed him a security risk and told him to leave. He told The Daily Telegraph: 'I told them it was a requirement of my religion but they just sniggered and ordered me to leave.'
"Beat it! And take yer wookie with yez!"
According to the rules of the Jedi church, members should wear a hood in public places. 'It states in our Jedi doctrination that I can wear headwear.
"I know it does. I wrote it."
'It just covers the back of my head,' Mr Jones said. 'You have a choice of wearing headwear in your home or at work, but you have to wear a cover for your head when you are in public.'
"Otherwise you get dive-bombed by The Pigeons of the Dark Side!"
Mr Jones said he had gone to the store to buy something to eat, and gave staff a Jedi church business card when they stopped him about his hood.
| If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers. |
"You don't need to shop at Tesco! These aren't the groceries you're looking for! Move along!"
The Telegraph reported that a Tesco spokesman defended the store's actions, saying: 'He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores, although we would ask them to remove their hoods. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood. If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers.'