LONDON, UK — London’s High Court has ruled in favor of a Manchester (UK) man who was demoted at work for posting his opinions opposing same-sex marriage on Facebook. Adrian Smith had called the possibility of church-held gay marriage ceremonies “an equality too far.”

Later he added, “The Bible is quite specific that marriage is for men and women. If the state wants to offer civil marriage to the same sex then that is up to the state; but the state shouldn’t impose its rules on places of faith and conscience.”

Smith’s employer, the Trafford Housing Trust, has a company policy against expressing political or religious opinions that could be deemed offensive. Officials ruled that his posts were inappropriate, and cut his salary by 40 percent.

On November 16, the High Court found that Smith had done “nothing wrong,” and that his employer had unfairly punished him. “The breach of contract … committed [by the trust] was serious and repudiatory,” the judge wrote.

After the court decision, Smith said that he was proud to live in a “free country where people have freedom of speech.” Unlike the U.S., where free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, Britain has no such written formal guarantee.