Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Freedom of Speech Dead in UK as London’s Muslim Mayor Defends Arrest of Christian Preacher
JIHAD WATCH ^ | MAR 24, 2019 1:00 PM | ROBERT SPENCER

Posted on 03/24/2019 1:02:45 PM PDT by robowombat

Freedom of Speech Dead in UK as London’s Muslim Mayor Defends Arrest of Christian Preacher

Britain continues to race toward its own ruin. My latest in the Geller Report:

How much has Britain deteriorated as a free society? This much: a Christian preacher from Nigeria, Oluwole Ilesanmi, recently discovered that preaching Christianity in public is illegal in London, because it offends Muslims. And London’s Muslim mayor has defended the arrest of Ilesanmi, saying that “there are limitations” on the freedom of speech.

Ilesanmi was arrested on February 23 while he was preaching, after a Muslim complained to police. A London activist, Ambrosine Shitrit, filmed the arrest. She explained what happened in an interview with CBN News: “A man with a hoodie was trying to humiliate, to be aggressive towards this Christian street preacher. I could see that he was a Muslim man because he was talking about, ‘No. Allah is the right way.’”

The Muslim who was harassing Ilesanmi was not arrested. Ilesanmi was. A police officer asked him, “What are you doing here?”

“I am preaching,” Ilesanmi answered.

The police officer responded: “You’re preaching. I am going to require you to go away.”

To that, Ilesanmi said: “You can never.”

“Okay,” said the police officer, “then I will arrest you for breach of peace.” What Ilesanmi asked him how he was breaching the peace, the officer replied: “What you’re doing. You’re causing problems, you’re disturbing people’s day and you’re breaching their peace.”

Ambrosine Shitrit explains: “Nobody was offended by the preaching, nobody. Nobody was offended and nobody came to see what was happening.”

Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, which is working with Ilesanmi on his case, explained: “This was completely an overreach of their authority. There was no basis upon which to arrest the pastor although they did know clearly because it’s caught on the camera. There was no proper investigation. They arrested him for Islamophobia which isn’t an offense and certainly there was no evidence of the fact that he was Islamophobic or racist.”

London’s Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, thought this arrest was just fine. According to Christian Today, Khan was asked about the arrest of Ilesanmi during Mayor’s Question Time at the London Assembly on March 21. Instead of saying that he thought the arrest was appalling and gratuitous, and defending the freedom of speech in general and Ilesanmi’s right to preach Christianity in particular, Khan said with studied blandness: “I expect the police to take this matter seriously.”

He added: “It’s always been clear that freedom of speech is critical and must be protected but also the police must be able to investigate when allegations are made of a criminal offence.”

The possible “criminal offense” in Ilesanmi’s case is “Islamophobia” or offending a Muslim, which are criminal offenses according to Sharia, but not illegal in Britain – at least not officially.

This is in a London that has become so unsafe that Somali Muslim migrants are actually sending their children back to war-torn Mogadishu in order to keep them out of harm’s way. Crime rates are skyrocketing in Khan’s London, and Khan’s police are devoting time and attention not to stopping knife crime and making the city safe again, but making sure that Muslims don’t have to suffer hearing the sound of Christian preaching.

And when Khan was asked whether Christians could preach in London without risking arrest, he answered: “There’s not an unlimited right to freedom of expression or free speech. There are limitations and there’s a balance that needs to be done. But I’m quite clear in my own views – we should go as far as we can to uphold that really important principle [of free speech] and that includes discourse about religion.”

If there are any limits to the freedom of speech other than prohibitions on open calls for violence and criminal activity, then there is no freedom of speech at all. And if there is no freedom of speech, there is no longer a free society. Muslims complained about Oluwole Ilesanmi’s preaching, and now it is official: Muslims in Britain are a protected class whose wishes must be catered to in all circumstances.

As long as that principle goes unchallenged, Britain will continue to race toward its own ruin.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Philosophy; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: ambrosineshitrit; andreawilliams; angelamerkel; brexit; emmanuelmacron; europeanunion; france; germany; globalwarminghoax; london; macron; nato; nigeria; oluwoleilesanmi; theresamay; unitedkingdom; yellowvest; yellowvests
Surprising numbers of people think what this fellow did was 'bad manners' and 'people like that' need to be shut up. There is among Anglo=Saxons such a taboo against direct and if necessary loud confrontation with leftists or muzzards that it is nearly impossible for many of them to ever understand that this is a war we are in and confronting leftist or muzzard s is one of the milder stages of this conflict.
1 posted on 03/24/2019 1:02:45 PM PDT by robowombat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: robowombat

2 posted on 03/24/2019 1:04:38 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: robowombat

Socialists and muslims.

Both need to be removed from any civilization that wishes to continue and prosper and be safe.


3 posted on 03/24/2019 1:05:37 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

I don’t care what anybody says, war, whether between countries or multiple civil wars, will break out in W Europe within the next 10 years.


4 posted on 03/24/2019 1:12:34 PM PDT by dp0622 (The Left should know if.. Trump is kicked out of office, it is WAR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: dp0622

And we should just watch.


5 posted on 03/24/2019 1:26:28 PM PDT by snarkytart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: snarkytart

ABSOLUTELY.

But unless Trump is in office still, we probably won’t.

The great thing about this country is the peaceful exchange of power every four or eight years.

The bad part is when you want the guy in there to stay until his last day on earth and 8 years is the max :)

It’s not like FDR tried to become dictator.

But better safe than sorry. We could have had obama again!!

Anyway, have a good one!


6 posted on 03/24/2019 1:32:24 PM PDT by dp0622 (The Left should know if.. Trump is kicked out of office, it is WAR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: dp0622

I believe you are correct


7 posted on 03/24/2019 2:08:50 PM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guvmint you get is the Trump winning express !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: robowombat

Bookmark


8 posted on 03/24/2019 3:14:37 PM PDT by aquila48
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: robowombat

A third-world country with literary traditions.

Churchill weeps in the Next World.


9 posted on 03/24/2019 4:05:00 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Both need to be removed from any civilization that wishes to continue and prosper and be safe.
..........................................................
That is precisely what must be done, and the longer it takes for western democracies to acknowledge this and do it the more innocent people will lose their lives.


10 posted on 03/24/2019 6:46:28 PM PDT by fortes fortuna juvat (Civilization is held together by the hangman's noose.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: fortes fortuna juvat

At the same time these citizens will have to overthrow the leaders that refuse to stop and encourage these suicidal policies.

Doubtful they will.


11 posted on 03/24/2019 6:56:27 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: robowombat
In a London that elected a Mayor Sadiq Aman Khan, of course "there are limitations" on freedom of speech - UNLESS YOU ARE A MUSLIM:


12 posted on 03/24/2019 7:02:59 PM PDT by drpix
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: drpix

Wait till raghead loving,dimwit Chuckles is King. He will have them howling from Buckingham palace...until they display his head on the gates.


13 posted on 03/24/2019 7:10:32 PM PDT by ClearBlueSky (ISLAM is the problem. ISLAM is the enemy of civilization.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: dp0622

The great thing about this country is the peaceful exchange of power every four or eight years.
.......................................
True that. But the aftermath of 2016 has been anything but peaceful.


14 posted on 03/24/2019 7:47:21 PM PDT by fortes fortuna juvat (Civilization is held together by the hangman's noose.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Londistan may become the capitol of Eurabia


15 posted on 03/25/2019 4:27:59 AM PDT by okie 54
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson