Pastor arrested while preaching returns to street for first time in 4 months

I did nothing [wrong], but here I am on Saturday going out again to preach during Easter time, he said. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr Moodley argues that Muslims can gather publicly for prayer in London without consequence, while he faces potential arrest for Christian preaching, a disparity he characterises as two-tier policing.Mr Moodley was arrested on November 22 on suspicion of a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence, as well as assault by beating.According to his lawyers at ADF UK, the British branch of Alliance Defending Freedom, he had been comparing Christian theology with other faiths, including Islam and speaking against transgender ideology when officers detained him.Video footage reportedly shows the pastor pushing away a bystander who had reached for his speaker's wire before she contacted police.He was held under the Public Order Act 1986 and spent eight hours in custody.Following his release, bail conditions barred him from Bristol city centre until late December, though these restrictions were subsequently lifted after his legal team made representations to police.Despite more than four months passing since his arrest, no charges have been brought against him.Mr Moodley claims police have repeatedly targeted his street preaching over the past four years, during which he has delivered sermons comparing Christianity with Islam and addressing topics such as abortion and homosexuality.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Lord Mandelson 'pocketed £250,000 from lobbying firm days before it dissolved'Artemis II astronauts soar past halfway point as crew hail 'most spectacular moment’Labour to allow 12,000 shoplifters to avoid jail sparking fears crime could ‘snowball out of control’In March 2024, officers arrested him outside Bristol University after he commented on Islam and stated that sex was binary. The force later apologised for destroying his sign, and prosecutors dropped the charges.Three years earlier, in 2021, authorities prohibited him from commenting on other faiths and required police approval before delivering sermons.His case attracted attention from Washington, where concerns about threats to British free speech were mounting. Last March, he was among activists who met with US State Department officials sent to examine the situation in the UK.Free speech campaigners have warned that Labour's proposed Islamophobia definition could effectively create a backdoor blasphemy law, undermining legal protections for expression.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last week scrapped non-crime hate incidents in their current form, responding to criticism that police were focusing on social media posts rather than street crime.However, Mr Moodley's legal team argues this reform offers him no protection, as he faces a hate crime accusation carrying up to seven years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine, with no statutory deadline for resolution.The pastor has urged Sir Keir Starmer to replace existing public order legislation with stronger free speech safeguards.My experience as a Christian pastor... undoubtedly shows there is a real risk of authorities allowing Christianity to be pushed out of public spaces in the UK, he said.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter