Christian street ministry has a long and fruitful history in the United Kingdom. But in recent years the freedom to preach in the streets has been severely curtailed. We’ve supported many public ambassadors for Christ who have been arrested, prosecuted or even attacked for their Christian views. And it’s usually because they bring the light of Christ to one of these three issues…
(1) Islam
Islam’s influence is growing in the UK – and it’s getting harder to challenge its claims and to confront it with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The government is proposing to adopt an official definition for ‘anti-Muslim hatred‘ – which will cause further problems for those critiquing Islam. But already, Christians are being arrested for challenging Islam.
Hatun Tash – Hatun is an ex-Muslim who has regularly debated Islam and critiques the Qur’an at Speakers’ Corner. She was stabbed in 2021 while evangelising, also facing a separate terrorist plot to take her life. Despite this, she has been arrested multiple times by police pandering to aggressive Muslim mobs rather than protecting Hatun’s freedom.
Shaun O’Sullivan – Shaun came to Christ after overcoming drug addiction and a life of crime. He dedicated his life to sharing the gospel, but was arrested in 2020 after explaining how Muslims and Christians worship a different God, and he was arrested again in 2024 when he said “We love the Jews,” “Jew haters,” and “Palestine lovers,” to a group of Muslims.
Oluwole Ilesanmi – Oluwole was arrested by police when preaching in Southgate due to a complaint that he had been ‘Islamophobic’. Police de-arrested and dropped him off miles away from home with no means to get back.
Ian Sleeper – Ian was surrounded by four officers and arrested for displaying signs which read: “Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus is love and hope.”
John Steele – John saw a Muslim woman wearing a hijab who was manning a public awareness stall about domestic abuse. He asked her how Islamic teachings could be reconciled with the stall’s message. Despite the brief and non-threatening nature of the exchange, an hour later he was surrounded by four police officers and detained.
(2) LGBT
The legalisation of same-sex marriage and the advancement of transgenderism has left Christians vulnerable should they speak about the Bible’s pattern for marriage and sexuality. This is true for people in the workplace, who may risk their jobs for speaking up. But it’s also true in public spaces. For decades, we have supported Christians who have been reported and arrested for proclaiming what the gospel says about homosexuality and transgenderism, including Dave, Mike, John, and Hazel.
Dave McConnell – Dave is believed to be the first street preacher convicted and reported to counter-terrorism for ‘misgendering’ a member of the public. Dave was made to pay costs of £620, forced to do 80 hours of community service and reported to Prevent, the government’s counter-terrorism watchdog, all despite there being no legal obligation in the UK to use anyone’s preferred pronouns. With help from our legal team his conviction was overturned on appeal.
Mike Overd – Mike was arrested while preaching and responding to questions, objections and abuse in a Bristol shopping area. Video evidence shows Mike being forcibly removed from the area by a police officer, after he was accused of ‘homophobia’ for quoting the Bible.
John Dunn – After an interaction with two women who said they were in a same-sex marriage, John was arrested and charged for alleged ‘homophobia’. The Crown Prosecution Service argued when charging him that there are “references in the Bible which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be deemed offensive if stated in public.”
Hazel Lewis – Hazel was arrested while preaching outside a North London tube station in February 2020 after false accusations were made against her by members of the public. Fortunately, Hazel had been recording audio footage of her preaching which proved the accusers’ claims to be untrue.
(3) Abortion
There are over 250,000 abortions per year in the UK, and it is now a crime to even pray against it in some parts of the UK. ‘Buffer zones’ – which are in essence censorship zones outside abortion clinics – criminalise any act deemed to “influence” mothers on their decision to have an abortion. Christian, Stephen, and Claire all faced arrest for either sharing Scripture or praying against abortion outside a buffer zone.
Christian Hacking – Christian was the first person in the UK to be arrested and prosecuted for praying outside an abortion clinic.
Stephen Green – Christian preacher Stephen faced prosecution for holding a sign with a Bible verse from Psalm 139 within an abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’.
Claire Brennan – Mother of four Claire was arrested for reciting the Lord’s Prayer and holding a sign reading “Pray to End Abortion” within a ‘buffer zone’ in Northern Ireland. A video of her arrest shows her kneeling in prayer with rosary beads while police speak to her, highlighting the peaceful nature of her actions.
In all these cases and many more, our legal team has fought for the freedom of Christians to bring the light of Christ to the streets of our nation.
We’ve helped dozens of street preachers over the years. Although some have been convicted along the way, we have had a near-perfect success rate in stopping or overturning their prosecutions.
But this shouldn’t be necessary. These stories and many more tell us that the UK has a serious freedom of speech problem.
