You may remember Rose.
She's a 75-year-old grandmother from Glasgow, Scotland. A woman of faith who stood on a public street holding a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime. Here to talk, only if you want.”
For that, she was arrested, held in a cell for hours, and denied a chair, despite having had a double hip replacement.
She didn't approach anyone. She didn't obstruct anyone. She didn't even speak about abortion. She simply offered a conversation – one that anyone was free to accept or walk away from.
Thankfully, last month, a Scottish Sheriff dismissed all charges against Rose, ruling that her rights to free speech under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated. It was the first-ever victory in a UK court against national “buffer zone” laws.
Then, on 5 May, the deadline passed. Scotland's Crown Office had one week to appeal, and they chose not to. Rose's victory is now reinforced. ADF International supported her legal defence.
This matters enormously. Not just for Rose, but for everyone in the UK who believes that a person offering consensual conversation on a public street should never be treated as a criminal.
None of this would have been possible without supporters like you, who ultimately helped secure this historic win. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
But the battle isn't over.
While Rose has been vindicated, two of our other clients, Livia Tossici-Bolt and Adam Smith-Connor, have been criminally convicted for similar peaceful expression in “buffer zones” in England. Legislation similar to that used against Rose is still being used to silence others.
Rose herself has been arrested twice. She is now consulting with our legal team about potential action against the police to ensure this never happens to her, or anyone else, again.
As our barrister Jeremiah Igunnubole put it: “Rose should never have been arrested. The process has become the punishment.” He’s right. And that chilling effect on free speech is exactly why this work must continue.
Will you make a gift today to keep it going? Every legal filing, every courtroom appearance, and every appeal takes a dedicated team and the resources to sustain them. Please stand with us again. | 
