Breaking updates from the BBC world news.
New arrests as the the city of London goes to Pink Alert as a result of street evangelists urging pedestrians to embrace the Christian faith. One particular preacher was arrested after he responded to a question about Islam by stating that Jesus Christ was the only way to salvation. That arrest was followed with another evangelist facing charges due to mentioning sodomy as being sin. Both were cited on suspicion of “racially or religiously aggravated harassment without violence” under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, and Public Order Act 1986. Police were notified of suspicious behavior as a result of an alert of UK 'spy in the sky' surveillance, thereby sending officers to investigate, and who were notified of the offensive behavior by others.
Too far from reality?:
A Christian pastor was arrested after commenting on Islam and affirming that sex is binary while street preaching..The incident began when a passerby questioned Moodley about his religious views. In response, the pastor contrasted the moral teachings of Christianity with those of Islam and affirmed his belief that God created people male and female. Shortly after, a bystander pushed Moodley off a small stepladder, while others grabbed and trampled on his signs, refusing to return them.
Police arriving at the scene arrested Moodley, claiming that his comments during Ramadan could be considered offensive. Meanwhile, no immediate action was taken against those who assaulted him or destroyed his property. Following the arrest, police instructed staff at Bristol University to dispose of four of Moodley’s signs. One included Bible verses. The police later apologized privately for the destruction of the property. .. Moodley criticized the police response, calling it a case of “two-tier policing” in which certain ideologies are protected while others are silenced. ...Avon and Somerset Police previously admitted that restrictions placed on Moodley, which prevented him from commenting on any religion except Christianity, were disproportionate. - https://catholicvote.org/uk-police-arrest-christian-pastor-street-preacher-after-accusations-about-comments-about-islam-gender-at-bristol-university/
UK Christians in 'Shock' as Government Prepares Law That Could Send Preachers to Prison Story by Samuel Short • 7mo
The United Kingdom continues its descent, making a dystopian nightmare a reality.
The BBC reported last week that Rushmoor Borough Council in Hampshire, England, has proposed an injunction against Christian street preachers in the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough.
The council claimed they received "a significant number of complaints from residents and businesses of some street preachers" over the past two years..."Among the claims are complaints that the preachers have made 'homophobic and disablist comments,' laid hands on children without parental permission and claimed 'members of the public have "evil spirit" within them.'.. Jamie Broadey, a evangelist preacher in Aldershot, gave his view on the ramifications of the action. "If you have a society of censorship, maybe people won't be offended, but also people won't find the truth." He also noted the one-sidedness of the decision, as this claim was absolutely not targeting the Muslim population.
"If this kind of thing was happening against the Muslims, the Muslims would be screaming Islamophobia," Broadey noted. - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/uk-christians-in-shock-as-government-prepares-law-that-could-send-preachers-to-prison/ar-AA1CLTm3
How the UK Police Criminalised Christian Speech by Lauren SmithForget terror plots, knife crime, or rampant theft, Britain’s police have bigger things to worry about—Christian street preachers. Shaun O’Sullivan, a 36-year-old preacher at the evangelical Awaken church in Swindon, was acquitted unanimously by a jury last week at Crown Court. He faced charges of racial and religious harassment against Muslims for saying the words: “Pray for the Jews and pray for the Palestinians.” This culminated in a six-day trial, costing an estimated £20,000.
This is by no means O’Sullivan’s first brush with the law. The preacher has been arrested 16 times now, but so far, none of the charges have stuck.
Before his September arrest, he was put in handcuffs for saying “God bless you” to pro-Palestine protesters at a demonstration. In one clip he posted to TikTok after the incident, a female police officer can be heard confirming over the phone that this phrase is criminal, “if it causes distress.” The officer explains that, “if that person was a Muslim,” they could be distressed. The case was, thankfully, dropped...
As a result of his many run-ins with the authorities, O’Sullivan believes that Wiltshire Police have a “vendetta” against him. He told the Daily Mail: “I’m not racist and I have no problem with people disagreeing with my religious views, but I do have a right to state them because we have freedom of speech in this country—even if it does offend people.” He says he is now attempting to sue the force for harassment.
Nor is O’Sullivan the only Christian street preacher who has found himself being treated like a criminal. In fact, British police seem to be weirdly obsessed with arresting Christians for expressing their (perfectly legal) beliefs in public. A recent legal case might offer some hope for O’Sullivan in his pursuit of compensation from Wiltshire Police. In 2022, 52-year-old Angus Cameron was preaching in central Glasgow when he was handcuffed and bundled into the back of a police van. Apparently, a passerby had accused Cameron of using homophobic language. He was released after an hour in custody, but warned that he would face prosecution for breaching the peace—
. In 2019, Oluwole Ilesanmi was preaching in north London when he was arrested for making ‘Islamophobic’ remarks. Ilesanmi had his Bible confiscated, was taken into a police car and driven around for four miles, before he was “de-arrested” and left in an unfamiliar suburb.
Bristol, was assaulted last year while preaching and hosting a public question-and-answer session outside the University of Bristol. Moodley, in response to a question from a Muslim man, mentioned that there was a difference in moral standards between Islam and Christianity. He also mentioned that he believed God had created sex to be binary. For this, Moodley was physically attacked by those who disagreed, pushing him off the stepladder he was standing on and tearing a placard from his hands. The police were called, but, instead of arresting the people who had assaulted Moodley, officers led the pastor away in handcuffs - https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/uk-police-criminalising-christian-speech/