Published:
February 28th, 2017
Two street preachers have today been convicted of a public order offence,
after a public prosecutor claimed that publicly quoting parts of the King James
Bible in modern Britain should "be
considered to be abusive and is a criminal
matter".
Prosecutor Ian Jackson also told the court that "although
the words preached are included in a version of the Bible in 1611, this does not
mean that they are incapable of amounting to a public order offence in
2016."
Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell were found guilty under the
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at Bristol Magistrates'
Court.
Last Friday the court dismissed the case against a third man,
Adrian Clark, ruling that there was no case to
answer.
During
the four-day trial, Mr Jackson also argued: "To
say to someone that Jesus is the only God is not a matter of truth. To the
extent that they are saying that the only way to God is through Jesus, that
cannot be a truth."
'Simply the language of the Bible'
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre,
which is supporting the preachers, says that the case raises huge questions
about the state of freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the
UK.
People will be shocked that a court now considers the Bible
itself to be a form of hate speech, she says.
The preachers were represented in court by Christian Legal Centre
allied solicitor Michael Phillips who told the court that "this
prosecution is nothing more than a modern-day heresy trial – dressed up under
the Public Order Act."
Describing the preachers' message, he said: "Every
negative remark about other religions and ways of life are taken straight from
those texts. The preachers do not use inflammatory language, but simply the
language of the Bible. If it is the case that the crown seeks to ban biblical
scripture, that would be a bold move."
He went on to argue that "free
speech is foundational to the functioning of society – just as much as freedom
of the press and democracy – and it must be protected at all
costs."
"We
need to stand against the movement which says it's only ok to say things that
don't offend others. That might be nice for people in the short term, but it is
not beneficial in the long term," he
explained.
Free to challenge Islam?
Mr Overd, Mr Stockwell and two friends were preaching in
Bristol's Broadmead Shopping Centre, in July last
year
The group that gathered was sometimes loud and aggressive, with
some swearing and hurling abuse.
The preachers took it in turns to address the crowd, and to
answer questions and objections.
There was debate on several points, especially over the
differences between Islam and Christian belief. Several hecklers appeared to be
supportive of Islam.
At
one point, Mr Stockwell had a debate with a Muslim man in which both individuals
expressed their opposition to the other's religious
beliefs.
'Threatening or abusive words'
The police did not arrive at the scene until about an hour into
the preaching.
Video evidence submitted to the court, shows Mr Overd being interrupted and forcibly
removed from the scene by a police officer.
But the court found Mr Overd and Mr Stockwell guilty under
Section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, for using "threatening
or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or
sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress, thereby,
and the offence was religiously aggravated."
In their ruling, the magistrates said that "we
feel it has been proved that both defendants' behaviour went beyond preaching
the virtues of their religion."
They ordered the two preachers to pay £2,016 each, in fines and
costs.
Mr Overd and Mr Stockwell are appealing the
conviction.
The
Crown Prosecution Service is also pursuing a Criminal Behaviour Order against Mr
Overd, with a hearing expected in May 2017.
Speaking of love, accused of hate
Responding to the judgment, Mr Stockwell
said:
"Our motivation for public preaching is love. We want people to
have access to the good news about Jesus Christ. I am shocked that God's message
of love, is now considered hateful and dangerous. Today, speaking God’s truth
seems to be a hate crime, according to some.
"There is a very disturbing pattern here. We declare Jesus'
message and critique rival beliefs such as Islam. Some people don't like what we
say, and threaten violence to silence us. Then, instead of defending free speech
and protecting us, the police shut down free speech to avoid public disorder.
And then a court convicts us of provoking disorder and risking
violence!
"Something has gone badly wrong. This gives a green light to
Islamists and other groups to silence speech that they don't like, simply by
threatening disorder or violence.
"Freedom
of speech is under assault. People should be free to express their beliefs in
public, without risk of harm, violence or other
repercussions."
Freedoms at stake
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre,
responded to the judgment, saying:
"The Bible and its teachings are the foundation of our society
and provided many of the freedoms and protections that we still enjoy today. So
it is extraordinary that the prosecution, speaking on behalf of the state, could
say that the Bible contains abusive words which, when spoken in public,
constitute a criminal offence.
"Today's ruling, in effect, states that Bible is offensive and
contains illegal speech which should not be shared in public. This is a very
serious state of affairs and these preachers are absolutely right to appeal the
decision.
"'Offence' is a very subjective thing and is easily manipulated
to shut down viewpoints that people simply don't like. Any suggestion that there
is a right not to be offended must be strongly resisted. In today's democracy,
we need the freedom to debate, challenge and
disagree.
"Mike Overd and Michael Stockwell were saying nothing that
wouldn't be heard at speakers' corner in Hyde Park – presenting the claims of
the Bible, answering the crowd's questions and objections, and responding to
abuse which was hurled at them. For a court to rule that this breaks the law is
extraordinary." Christian Concern.
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