By Danny Webster2024-08-20T08:51:00
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has won £13,000 payout and an apology from police after being arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic. It’s good news, but freedom of speech could still be restricted in the UK, warns the Evangelical Alliance’s Danny Webster
In the UK our freedom of speech is one of the most central and cherished aspects of our society. Over the centuries many battles – sometimes literal ones – have been fought to ensure that we are free to speak.
Our free speech isn’t restricted because others disagree with it, or as Lord Justice Sedley said in a highly influential court judgment: “Free speech includes not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative provided it does not tend to provoke violence. Freedom to only speak inoffensively is not worth having.”
I should therefore be celebrating the £13,000 payout to the Christian campaigner Isabel Vaughan-Spruce following her arrest, prosecution and acquittal (twice) for silently praying outside an abortion clinic. This is a victory for common sense, and a recognition that the law does protect our freedoms. In many cases where Christians are arrested while engaged in similar activities or street preaching, the charges are often dropped, the cases do not make it to court, or if they do they are found not-guilty. That is a reminder of the strength of our legal system and the rights it protects.
2025-04-14T10:23:00Z By Tim Wyatt
Christians should be grateful whenever abusive practices within the Church are brought into the light. But too often a lack of religious literacy within our national newspapers leads to inaccurate reporting, says Tim Wyatt
2025-04-09T09:13:00Z By Chine McDonald
A very British revival has arrived, according to new research from Bible Society. It’s an exciting time to be a Christian in the UK, says Chine McDonald
2025-04-04T13:17:00Z By George Pitcher
Perhaps the former Archbishop of Canterbury intended to convey remorse and accountability in his conversation with Laura Kuenssberg. But that’s not how it’s been received, observes George Pitcher
2025-04-17T08:12:00Z By Andy Witherall
With the most significant day in the Christian calendar approaching, Andy Witherall unveils five undeniable facts supporting Jesus’ resurrection
2025-04-16T10:37:00Z By George Lapshynov
As English Heritage release a children’s booklet claiming “the goddess Eostre gave Easter its name!”, George Lapshynov debunks the increasingly common claim that Easter originated as a pagan festival
2025-04-14T15:05:00Z By Jack Sara
The last operating hospital in the Gaza Strip was hit by an Israeli airstrike yesterday. Israel says a Hamas command and control centre was being operated from inside the medical facility. The head of Bethlehem Bible College Rev Jack Sara condemns the attack and says he fears for the remaining 600 Christians in Gaza
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