Ask the Home Secretary to protect street preachers
Show your support for Oluwole Ilesanmi and other street preachers who have been arrested by police officers around the country.
Sadly, this is not the first time that Christian street preachers have been arrested in the UK. At the Christian Legal Centre, we have helped many street preachers who have been arrested, and in some cases faced criminal charges. Tony, Josh, Dominic, Bill, Rob, Mike, Michael and Adrian, Ian, Daniel, David, Stephen and many others have had their names cleared because of our help.
We are concerned about the actions of some police officers, and we’re calling on the UK’s Home Secretary to launch an urgent review to ensure that the police are trained to act within the law.
Will you join us? Please sign the petition below.
Petition:
Dear Home Secretary,
A video of street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi being arrested outside Southgate Underground station has been seen by millions of people worldwide. It's not the first time a Christian street preacher has been wrongly arrested in the UK.
Christian street preachers should be free to share the gospel, even where it means challenging the beliefs of others.
The law rightly protects freedom of speech, even if it offends, shocks or disturbs others. But too often, police officers have shown themselves either to be ignorant of this freedom, or unwilling to uphold it. This leads to a chilling effect, where people are increasingly unwilling to say what they believe, for fear of arrest.
Please urgently investigate what guidance and training is being given to police officers nationwide to ensure that they protect the freedom to preach in public.