Posted on 06/01/2008 11:43:18 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Two Christians claim a police community support officer told them to stop leafleting in an area of east Birmingham where many Muslims live.
The Christian Institute has complained to West Midlands Police the men were told to leave Alum Rock Road.
The US Christians said they were advised they were committing a hate crime by trying to convert Muslims.
West Midlands Police has investigated the complaint and said the officer intervened to defuse a row.
Arthur Cunningham and Joseph Abraham, a pastor at Grace Bible Fellowship Church, in Saltley, Birmingham, had been distributing leaflets in nearby Alum Rock on 19 February when the police support officer (PCSO) intervened.
Apology demanded
They claimed he warned them to leave the area, saying: "If you come back here and get beat up, well you have been warned."
Mr Cunningham and Mr Abraham then agreed to leave.
The men, backed by the Christian Institute, have complained to the force, saying their human rights were infringed.
They have also demanded an apology and damages.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said the complaint had been investigated by the force.
She said: "The investigation concluded that the PCSO acted with the best of intentions when he intervened to diffuse a heated argument between two groups of men."
The spokeswoman added that following the investigation the PCSO had been offered "guidance around what constitutes a hate crime as well as his communication style".
Boy, talk about duckspeak. Just look at those last two paragraphs of this story.
Preaching Christianity = Terrorism.....
Where’s the equality I ask you.
If these two had been Muslims in a Christian neighborhood the police wouldn’t have even taken their swords.
Unbelievable.
Doubleplusgood. I bellyfeel Sharia. We have always been at peace with Dar al-Islam.
-ccm
No, they're practicing a little human right known as freedom of speech. So much for the land of Magna Carta and the rights of Englishmen. The West is doomed unless it changes course.
Britain is doomed.
We should offer a citizen/alien swap. We take non-muzzie Brits and they take the muzzies we have in return.
England is gone.
Considering how Catholics, Jews, and Eastern Orthodox treat Protestant “proselytizers” in the United States, I hope all three will refrain from condemning the Brits for this.
Sheesh, PCSOs are basically glorified litter patrollers that allow police forces to provide a foot patrol prescence on the cheap.
So, one of them speaks out of turn during a heated situation, for which the Police force have pulled him up for.
And all the usual suspects turn up to post ‘England is no more’.
Usual storm in a teacup, some sense of perspective would be nice.
You beat me to it man.
Special Constables are plastic coppers, devoid of any real authority. They even have ‘zones’ within which they have some police powers, but outside of these grids they are just shiny people.
I daresay the UK will survive the scourge of these non-coppers.
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