After unlawfully censoring U.K. pastor and street preacher Dia Moodley, Bristol police have conceded that their actions were “disproportionate,” and will pay a settlement to the pastor.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International and the Free Speech Union backed Moodley’s challenge to the chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police for religious discrimination, as well as infringement of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression; and freedom of assembly and association.
“Thankfully, with support from ADF UK and the Free Speech Union, I have received some measure of justice after having been wrongfully silenced by authorities,” Moodley said. “But this creeping culture of censorship is detrimental to all of us in society, whatever we believe, and we must challenge it wherever we see it.”
Police issued Moodley a warning—a “Community Protection” notice—in October 2021 that forbade him from “passing comments on any other religion or comparing them to Christianity” and “passing comments on beliefs held by Atheists or those who believe in evolution.” Additionally, it prohibited him from “delivering a sermon or religious address at a time or place that has not had prior consent and approval of Avon & Somerset Constabulary,” according to ADF International.
Moodley told Fox News that his practice had been to use a question-and-answer format in his street sermons, with a sign that said, “Stop and ask any question.” This generated discussion between Moodley and those who congregated. He and his congregation had laid down ground rules to prevent crowds from losing control and breaching the peace. If issues began, Moodley would step down and let the crowd disperse.
“Part of my agreement in taking questions from people was that I could ask the question back,” he said. “That question-and-answer discourse … gathered a crowd very quickly … It could grow from two people to 100 people in a matter of minutes.”
In 2021, Moodley met with the Avon & Somerset Police Force to maintain good working relations after initially reaching out to them for help in instances of racial abuse. The police had been attending Moodley’s public preaching in order to protect him and those who congregated. It was in that 2021 meeting that they gave him the notice.
“It isn’t for the police to decide which religions or worldviews can be free from criticism,” Moodley said. “When I preach, I am committed to speaking about the Good News of Christianity in love, grace, and truth—but that doesn’t mean that I will never say something that others may disagree with. The nature of a free and democratic society is that we can speak publicly about our beliefs.”
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, said, “Dia Moodley’s case exposes a clear double standard in British policing when the issue concerns the expression of core beliefs; particularly Christian beliefs.
“Whilst we welcome the police force’s admission that their actions were disproportionate, it is crucial that the laws permitting such flagrant violations of freedom of speech are urgently addressed to prevent the need for Dia and others like him from being embroiled in years of legal proceedings only to defend what should have instantly been recognized as their lawful, peaceful and constitutional rights to speak freely in public.”
