Kristie Higgs: Christians to rally for free speech ahead of landmark Court of Appeal hearing
1 October 2024 Issued by: Christian ConcernFreedom rally outside Royal Courts of Justice
When: From 9.15am, Wednesday 2 October.
Where: At the front of the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL.
Interview and photo opportunities with banners and placards with Christians who have been at the centre of high-profile free speech cases. Contact tom.allen@christianconcern.com / 07974304620.
Hearing
When: From 10.30am, Wednesday 2 October – Thursday 3 October.
Where: Court 71, Court of Appeal, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL.
Access: in-person and the hearing will also be livestreamed at https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/going-to-court/court-of-appeal-home/the-court-of-appeal-civil-division-live-streaming-of-court-hearings/.
Tomorrow (Oct 2), Christians at the centre of high-profile free speech legal cases will rally to highlight the need to protect free speech for Christians.
The Freedom Rally will take place outside of the Royal Courts of Justice ahead of the landmark Kristie Higgs hearing at the Court of Appeal.
The group of Christians includes those who have lost their jobs and sometimes their careers because they expressed their Christian faith inside or outside the workplace. They will call for Kristie to be given justice and for the Court of Appeal to give meaningful free speech protections for employees.
Significance of Kristie Higgs’ case
Kristie’s case, which has been supported by the Christian Legal Centre for over five years, will set important legal precedent for free speech and the freedom of Christians to live out their faith in the UK.
In 2019, Kristie was sacked for gross misconduct and had her Christian beliefs compared to neo-Nazism for sharing concern about extreme Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and transgender ideology being introduced to her son’s Church of England primary school.
The Court of Appeal will determine whether it is lawful for an employer to punish employees for private social media posts expressing Christian beliefs and morality.
The case has significant ramifications for Christian freedom in the workplace and the freedom of any employee to express biblical principles on marriage and family, some of which may express opposition to LGBTQI+ ideology, in public or private, without the fear of losing their livelihoods.
Kristie’s case is not isolated.
There are many Christians, from doctors, clergy, parents, teachers and social workers, who have fallen foul of an increasingly intolerant and prevailing LGBTQI+ secular ideology.
Their stories have consistently made national and sparked international news expressing condemnation and concern about the rise of discrimination against Christian beliefs in UK society.
From 9.15am on Wednesday 2 October, a Who’s Who of Christians who’ve been punished for expressing their faith will gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice in support of Kristie, asking for justice to be done and for their freedom to be Christians in public upheld.
They will peacefully protest their sackings as Christians who have had their lives torn apart, but nonetheless refuse to renounce their beliefs or be silent.
Those attending and available for interview include:
Felix Ngole was expelled from his university social work course after posting comments on his Facebook page in support of Biblical teaching. In 2019 he won his case at the Court of Appeal and has qualified to become a social worker. Yet he has continued to be discriminated against by employers because of his beliefs on human sexuality.
Rev. Dr Bernard Randall was dismissed from his role as school chaplain and reported to the government’s terrorist watchdog, Prevent, for a sermon he gave at in school’s Church of England chapel on ‘identity politics’. He is still fighting for justice.
Nigel and Sally Rowe challenged the government over trans-affirming school policies after being told that their six-year-old child would be considered a bully if he didn’t go along with transgender ideology in a Church of England primary school. They had to remove their children from the school.
Joshua Sutcliffe, a maths teacher, was disciplined after allegedly ‘misgendering’ a pupil who self-identified as a boy, and for critiquing Islam on his personal YouTube channel. He became the first teacher to be barred from the profession for his Christian beliefs. He is still fighting for justice.
Dr Aaron Edwards was sacked from his role as a theology lecturer at a Bible college for a tweet on human sexuality. He is still fighting for justice.
Victoria Culf, a talented artist, was cancelled and reported to the police for saying to a co-worker that she thought it is harmful for children to try and change their sex.
Dr David Mackereth lost his job as an assessor for the Department for Work and Pensions after saying he wouldn’t use transgender pronouns.
Calvin Watts challenged his children’s Church of England primary school for secretly teaching extreme trans ideology.
Brian Walker, an NHS electrician, was forced out of his job at an NHS trust for expressing his Christian beliefs on multi-culturalism, Islam and same-sex marriage.
‘We will keep speaking the truth’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which has backed and supported all of these cases and many more, said: “These are real people, real lives, real stories.
“This group of people are wonderful but have been punished for being Christian. Their cases get to the very heart of the battle Christians have faced in recent decades over the freedom to state Biblical and biological truth in public and private in the UK.
“People still seem to find it hard to believe that this is really happening in the UK, but it is. I hoped that after one case the tide would turn but that has not proved to be so.
“I’m hoping that the judges in this case will do justice and uphold freedom of speech and the freedom of Christians to be who they are without facing fear and detriment.
“Those coming in support of Kristie come from a huge range of professions and every walk of life. Their stories and experiences bear witness to the attempts to suppress Christian beliefs and demonstrate why the outcome of Kristie’s case is so important.
“Christians are called to be salt and light wherever we go. We are Christians at home, at work and on social media, and we are unashamed of that.
“That’s why free speech is particularly important to us. That’s why so many of the crucial cases around free speech have been Christian Legal Centre cases – because it is Christians who find themselves at the heart of challenging the prevailing secular liberal orthodoxy.
“We will keep speaking, no matter the consequences. Ultimately, it’s not about us, and whether we are treated fairly – it’s about whether Jesus Christ’s teaching will be allowed to influence the public square.”
