'My story of persecution is sadly just one among many in the UK'

Rev. Dr Bernard Randall spoke at a recent online conference hosted by the Observatory of Intolerance Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC). Their most recent report has revealed that the UK is one of the most intolerant European countries towards Christians.

Bernard’s story is sadly one of many similar cases of intolerance towards Christians in the UK: Bernard was dismissed from his role as school chaplain at a Christian ethos school and then reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog, Prevent – all for preaching a sermon to the students on the need to respect others’ beliefs when it comes to matters such as ‘identity politics’.

The report identifies the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden as the top five countries driving what it describes as a “rising phenomenon” against Christians. It reveals the UK as the number one country in Europe for having the most cases of legal prosecutions for alleged ‘hate speech’.

The report states that discrimination has continued to escalate during the pandemic with disproportionate bans on public Christian worship and downgrading churches to non-essential services.

Bernard commented on his own case: “I haven’t been able to get work in ministry [since the dismissal]. There’s no prospect that I’ll be able to work in school again because of what they’ve done. They don’t want Christian voices.”