A group of street preachers are at the centre of what is believed to be an unprecedented legal battle with a local authority which has tried to impose an injunction, without proper consultation, that would criminalise Christian prayer, singing and evangelism.
Following an intervention by the Christian Legal Centre and local politicians, preachers have managed to temporarily halt the Labour-run Rushmoor Council’s attempts to censor Christian faith being proactively shared in Aldershot and Farnborough town centres.
Open air Christian preaching has a long history in the United Kingdom and is seen as bastion of freedom of speech and expression.
Increasingly, however, since the turn of the century, whether through police arrests or ‘censorship zones’ around abortion clinics, authorities are continually seeking to erode these freedoms, especially Christian beliefs seen as ‘offensive’.
Since 2023, Rushmoor council appear to have been preparing the injunction which it says was made ‘to control the behaviour of the defendants’ who are ‘unknown’.
A number of preachers often share the Christian faith in the area through public speaking, sharing leaflets, offering prayer and healing and providing outreach support to the homeless and vulnerable.
Preachers challenging the injunction, recognise that sometimes there are preachers who are young, passionate and undergoing training who can get carried away, but that this is rare.
They add that the nature of preaching the Christian message of salvation inevitably leads to a few members of the public being ‘offended’ by that message.
However, the preachers say that it is not a criminal offence to offend someone and say that the council is disproportionately focusing on negatives while giving no respect or recognition to the good that Christian witness brings to the community.
The Council claiming that it wanted to ‘prevent alarm and distress’ the applicant for an injunction was issued last month pursuant to section 22 of the Local Government Act 1972 and sections 1 and 2 of the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The injunction sought to ban prayer, singing or preaching. Breaking the injunction could result in fines, arrests and prosecutions and even prison. The maximum custodial sentence for breaching an injunction is two years.
Praying and singing would be banned
The injunction applied to prohibit, for example:
“Praying, whether with outstretched arms or otherwise, for anyone visiting, working or living within the Town Centres of Aldershot and Farnborough, as shown outlined in red on the attached plan, without their prior permission.”
“Offering up or personally handing to anyone visiting, working or living within the Town Centres of Aldershot and Farnborough…any leaflet, letter or poster or other written material. For the avoidance of doubt this does not prohibit [street preachers] from allowing others to take any written material which is merely placed on a stand or the floor and available to be taken.”
‘Touching anyone visiting, working or living within the town centres of Aldershot and Farnborough…for the avoidance of doubt this includes the laying of hands in anyone in prayer.’
‘Approaching anyone who is not themselves street preaching for the purpose of engaging them with discussion about religion or belief.
“Engaging in street preaching which is hostile towards anyone with the protected characteristic of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.”
The council’s anonymous legal representative who drafted the injunction says this strikes ‘a fair balance between the rights of all concerned’ and said that the council had ‘considered its public sector equality duty.’
Despite not consulting the preachers or members of the public, the injunction claims that: ‘the only way to mitigate the impact’ of the street preaching was ‘to apply the injunction’ and that members of the public can still preach but with extensive ‘restrictions on offensive behaviour.’
‘Christian preaching = non-inclusive environment’
Examples cited by the council to justify the injunction, included a member of the public who said they are gay and had a ‘transgender son.’
While street preachers were sharing the gospel of salvation with the hecklers, strangely the hecklers confronted the preachers with a sign that said: ‘Jesus Hates Gay People.’
The preachers responded and said: ‘Jesus doesn’t hate gay people, he hates sin’, and another said: ‘God blesses you and wishes you to be free of evil’.
The individual with the sign said the preachers create ‘a non-inclusive environment.’
Under the injunction, however, it is the preachers who would face censorship and potential prosecution.
Other complaints cited by the council include preachers using portable PA systems, evangelising, and preaching on topics that may cause ‘harassment, alarm and distress’.
Members of the public have said Christian preaching makes them ‘angry and upset’ and that it ‘ruins their day’ when ‘they are judged.’ One even complained that preaching during the day had impacted their sleep.
Other complaints even include Christians praying for a homeless person and offering healing prayer to the sick.
I thought: ‘They must have made a mistake’
Following legal support from the Christian Legal Centre, the council postponed the court hearing which sought to seal the injunction and have said they now intend to re-write it.
The council’s approach appears to have united the preachers and local churches who are prepared to challenge the proposed measures as far as necessary to protect their Christian freedoms.
One preacher, who is a trained evangelist, said: “When I first read the injunction I thought: ‘They must have made a mistake.’ I felt complete unbelief that it was saying that you can’t have religious discussions, you can’t pray or sing, and people have to come to you, you can’t go to them and share the gospel which Christians have done freely in this country for centuries.
“I thought that it must have been a mistake and that someone at the council, who is very anti-Christian, must have produced this or it must be incompetence. But then we found out that the council has been working on this for two years. They put notices about the injunction across the area and many people within the council must have approved this and used significant amounts of taxpayer money to do so.”
The preacher has described incidents with the police when they have asked preachers to turn down amplification while sharing the gospel. He said he once asked a female police officer for clarification on whether it was illegal to use amplification, but instead of answering his question the officer called for back-up. 6 police officers then arrived.
“We pray for and respect the police and authorities,” he says, “but believe it is also important to challenge them in the right way when they are acting disproportionately and being inconsistent.
“As a Christian I am commanded to share the good news and am therefore compelled to share the gospel. The gospel is not my idea, I am being obedient to God.
“There is a fracturing of the understanding of what the Christian faith is across this land. For the first 19 years of my life, I was against God, but then my life was completely changed. I know what it is like to be on the other side, and I know people can change their minds and find hope. That is why I do what I do.
“Since we found out about the injunction and asked for prayer, we have been contacted by Christians from across the UK. The issue is uniting preachers and Christians and we are prepared to challenge this as far as need be to prevent the gospel being criminalised in Aldershot and Farnborough.”
‘Silencing the gospel’
Another preacher, Sally McGuinness, who preaches in the area and does a lot of work supporting the homeless and the most vulnerable in the community, said: “This injunction is criminalising me for helping the homeless and infringing on my rights to do good. I think the council is failing to see the good that Christians bring through proactive outreach.
“If this is not challenged and stopped in its tracks now, it will spread and will be terrible for Christian freedoms and freedom in general in this country.
“I couldn’t believe it when I read it, it is unashamedly stopping the gospel being shared and treating us like unwanted criminals.
“I know I’m innocent, and they want to criminalize me for doing good by putting a law in place to stop me, this is the wrong thing for them to do, and they should correct themselves, and not have a court hearing for an injunction with these proposals against unknown persons for spreading the good news through Jesus.
“I would like to see the Council put up notices in every area that they have already used to make it public knowledge of the court hearing, which was embarrassing to see, stating that the errors of inappropriate speech and behaviour have been dealt with and that they recognise that they can not put forward these freedom taking proposals or an injunction for everyone for the sake of few, so matters are now cleared up.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “We stand with the Christian preachers in Aldershot and Farnborough. The proposed injunction is disproportionate and unlawful, and we will challenge any other legislation the council tries to bring in which attempts to silence and criminalise the Christian faith.”
