‘To express Christian beliefs is a form of blasphemy’
“We’re living in a time when free speech is increasingly under threat in the country, as evidenced by some of our cases, street preachers being arrested and people losing their jobs just for expressing what they think.” Tim Dieppe, our Head of Public Policy, sits down with Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, ...
25 March 2023 Articles
Why the CofE was wrong to report synod member for hate speech
Andrea Williams comments on some recent tweets from synod member Sam Margrave, for which he was reported to police by his diocese – and why this was a completely disproportionate response. Sam Margrave, a Christian on the Church of England’s General Synod, has been reported to police by the Diocese of Coventry and has even ...
8 February 2023 Articles
‘From a heart of hate to a life of love’
Bob Paulson of Decision Magazine speaks to John Dunn, whose street preaching case we recently supported when prosecutors claimed that parts of the Bible, when he read aloud, are ‘abusive’ and ‘no longer appropriate in a modern society’. In November 2020, UK street preacher John Dunn had interaction with two women who said they were ...
27 January 2023 Articles
Giving thanks for 2022: the year in review
What are you grateful for in 2022? We’ve seen many cases won over the past year, including Nigel and Sally Rowe’s challenge over trans policies in schools; Dr Dermot Kearney’s case against the General Medical Council, and who has now helped to save over 30 babies from unwanted abortions; and the likes of Maureen Martin, ...
21 December 2022 Articles
Government admits it was ‘inappropriate’ for CPS to call Bible ‘offensive’
In a win for Christian freedoms, the government has said that it was “inappropriate” for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to argue that parts of the Bible are “no longer appropriate in modern society” while trying to convict a Christian preacher of an alleged ‘hate crime.’ In the House of Lords this week, Baroness Hoey ...
14 December 2022 Articles
The judiciary should ‘protect free speech’ – not suppress it
Street preacher John Dunn was arrested after reading the Bible in public and told by prosecutors that parts of the Bible are “abusive” and “no longer appropriate in modern society.” The Public Order Act charges against him were, however, eventually dropped after his accusers ‘refused to engage with the case’. The Christian Legal Centre’s Michael ...
5 December 2022 Articles
Is the Bible too ‘abusive’ and ‘offensive’ to be read in public?
“Are we willing to tolerate religious perspectives that we might find offensive?” In his ‘Thought for the Day’, journalist Timothy Stanley mentions the case of street preacher John Dunn, who was arrested for preaching from the Bible. In court, the Crown Prosecution Service argued that parts of the Bible are “abusive” and “no longer appropriate ...
29 November 2022 Articles
‘As long as I breathe I will tell the world the glorious gospel’
“I don’t think it’s a crime to tell people the good news. I don’t think it is a crime to tell people that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only solution to humanity. “I am someone who is convinced by it, and as long as I breathe out and breath in, I will use that ...
27 October 2022 Articles
Pray for life and gospel freedom cases today
Two important Christian Legal Centre cases are taking place today and we’d greatly value your prayer for both of them.Christian street preacher Andrew Sathiyavan is challenging a ruling that said he should have done his street preaching and ministry online during Covid. Meanwhile, parents Lanre Haastrup and Rashid and Aliya Abbasi will seek permission to appeal ...
24 May 2022 Articles
A chance for Christians to shape the Bill of Rights
The government is consulting on reforming the Human Rights Act by replacing it with a Bill of Rights. This is expected to be one of the biggest constitutional changes in the UK for decades. The consultation is a golden opportunity to tell the government to ensure Christian freedoms are maximised in the proposed Bill of ...
4 March 2022 Articles
2021: a good year for Christian freedoms?
Andrea Williams looks back over the past year, reviewing how Christian freedoms have been impacted. 2020 was a bad year for freedom generally with harsh lockdowns imposed across the country and churches forced by law to close for the first time in hundreds of years. As we entered 2021, things were looking brighter. Churches were ...
5 January 2022 Articles
‘What might be offensive to one person might be the salvation of another’
The Christian Legal Centre’s Roger Kiska explains why there should be space for street preachers to share the good news of Jesus Christ in the public square. Speaking to William Crawley on BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback he says: “what might be offensive to one person might be the salvation of another”. Christian Concern · ‘What ...
20 August 2021 Articles
Why do the police have favourites?
In a guest post, Harry Miller (Fair Cop) compares how different groups are treated by police when they critique or offend other religions and beliefs. Imagine a musical in which the prophet, Mohammed, is cast with the swivelling hips of Little Richard and Muslims are kept in line by a dancing pork chop. If it ...
7 May 2021 Articles
‘I do my job by obeying the current laws but still fulfilling the commission’
Charges have been dropped against a Christian street preacher, Andrew Sathiyavan, who had been arrested, put in a cell for six hours and charged £400. Watch as Andrew explains what happened when the police arrived and why preaching the gospel during this ongoing crisis is so important.
8 April 2021 Articles
The ‘Wrong Man’ to accuse of a hate incident
Former police officer Harry Miller writes about his important legal case against the police for recording non-crime hate incidents. Harry explains why the police picked ‘the wrong man’ when they found him guilty without trial of a non-crime hate incident. There was a short exchange at my recent Court of Appeal hearing in which Lady ...
8 April 2021 Articles
The impact of lockdowns on religious freedoms
Following the government’s restrictive lockdown measures to try to combat the spread of Covid-19, the Joint Committee on Human Rights launched a call for evidence on the impacts of local and national lockdowns. The committee said it was seeking views on the impact that lockdown has on specific freedoms, including: “The impact of lockdown on ...
12 January 2021 Articles
Human Rights Committee to investigate hate speech and free expression
The Joint Committee on Human Rights is investigating the issue of freedom of expression, calling for evidence from interested groups and individuals. Christian Concern has now submitted evidence from many of our legal cases and the individuals and families that we have supported, calling for free speech to be protected in our society. We would ...
19 November 2020 Articles
Beware government bill seeking licence for criminality
Carys Moseley comments on how the newly proposed Covert Human Intelligence Bill presents a threat to freedoms of speech and religion. The Home Office has tabled a bill in Parliament which would allow public bodies such as the police, the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency to authorise criminal conduct by spies. This ...
23 October 2020 Articles
The rest of the world is watching as freedom of religion is eroded in the West
Dr Martin Parsons, an independent consultant on the global persecution of Christians, comments on the closure of churches during the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on freedom of religion. On 23 March, the UK government announced a lockdown, including the first legal closure of churches by the government since Magna Carta. For a nation which ...
15 October 2020 Articles
Scottish hate crime bill ‘over-regulates free speech’
The Christian Legal Centre’s Roger Kiska comments on how the proposed new Scottish hate crime bill endangers freedom of speech. On 23 April 2020, the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Scottish government. On the same day, the Government issued a call for evidence in relation to the bill, with ...
29 May 2020 Articles
Ofsted to High Court: ‘Christian groups do not belong in the public square’
The Christian Legal Centre’s Roger Kiska comments on how Christian charity is being squeezed out of the public space. Last week, as oral arguments were being heard by the High Court, Christian Concern commented on the case of Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Services. The case, which is being supported by the Christian Institute, arose as ...
14 May 2020 Articles
Assessing the Coronavirus Act 2020: what you need to know
The Christian Legal Centre’s Roger Kiska analyses how the Coronavirus Act will affect Christian freedoms in the UK. Read and download our summary guide on the Coronavirus Act 2020. “In many ways, it is hard for modern people living in First World countries to conceive of a pandemic sweeping around the world and killing millions ...
17 April 2020 Articles
Top 5 sites for family entertainment during lockdown
Christian Legal Centre lawyer, Michael Phillips, suggests five sites you can visit during lockdown for family entertainment over the Easter period. The chances are that if you are a Christian parent, you may well have come to the end of ‘acceptable’ viewing on BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, and Netflix for your children or as a ...
3 April 2020 Articles
Police say offending someone is an offence
Christian street preacher, Joshua Sutcliffe, was warned and told by police at Oxford Circus, London, that it is now a crime to offend someone in public. While preaching a message about Jesus’ love and forgiveness for everyone and referring to 1 Corinthians 6:9, Joshua had said that “homosexuality is wrong”. However, the police came and ...
10 March 2020 Articles