CHRISTIAN PREACHER ARRESTED

In recent years we have witnessed in this country a prolonged assault on Christian Street preachers, but an attitude of tolerance towards Islamic preachers.

In addition, even within the Church, preachers ordained and lay, have been subject to harassment or suspension for speaking out against the agenda of the LGBGT lobby activists, which our bishops have been so keen to accommodate, irrespective that such is against the teaching of the Bible, and the commission of Jesus to teach all that HE commanded.

We are further burdened by our disastrous Prime Minister who never lets us forget she attends Church by having her photograph taken each Sunday, yet is proposing legislation to allow children of tender years to discuss gender changing and be told in explicit terms all forms of sexuality.

Consider the following cases and you will appreciate the serious threat to our faith.

Two street preachers were deemed to have engaged in hate speech for quoting verses from the King James Version of the bible, and heavily fined until an appeal court reversed the decision.

In Northern Ireland zealots in the so called Equality Commission rushed to prosecute a bakery for refusing to endorse same sex marriage on a wedding cake, despite the fact that such unions are not lawful in that country.

But perhaps the worst of many other cases is that of an elderly preacher in London who had his bible snatched from him to his great distress, by two police constables and then was driven away under arrest For causing a breach of the peace.

A matter of what then occurred is of grave concern. The police initially stated the man was taken to a position three miles away and released, but subsequently changed their story. In fact, he was taken further away and left without money to make his own way home, which he was only able to do so by a kind person paying his bus fare.

If a person is arrested, the police have no power to just take and dump them where they think fit, they must be taken to a police station where they will be formally charged, or formally released, and it is time Christian Concern or some lawyer starts taking process for unlawful arrests.

There are too many instances, but what a lack of courage and integrity when other faiths do not get similarly treated. This is because their leaders have greater commitment to their faith and will not be pushed around.

There was a case in Perth where a preacher was arrested for breach of the peace, and whilst he had no amplification a street busker did yet was tolerated.

There are so many other instances which would take up too much reading space to mention.

Now this Mayor of London with his fondness for political correct gimmicks and balloon of a leading world statesman in a grotesque gesture of discourtesy, is having to answer for his failure to show some sense of responsibility and question the police Commissioner on her responsibility for her officers.

Questions to be answered regarding the police changing their account.

Pray with us that
• Tomorrow (Thursday 21 March) Oluwole's amazing journey since the video of his arrest went viral will continue at London City Hall. From 10am, London Assembly members will address three questions to London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
•
The police have changed their story on Olu's de-arrest
Christian street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi outside Southgate
Underground Station on 23 February 2019. Having viewed the arrest on social media and the confiscation
of his Bible, It is understood he was then taken five miles away by police car and dumped in Wrotham Park. It is
disappointing that any members of the Metropolitan Police would think it appropriate to behave in this
manner. What is your view of the actions taken by the police on this particular occasion?

MP Theresa Villiers has challenged the Government over his arrest
• Baroness Cox has raised questions on his arrest in the House of Lords
• His story has been covered in The Spectator, Fox News, Premier, Faithwireand by Rod Liddle in The Sunday Times
Oluwole's lawyer has written a pre-action letter to the police commissioner.

This represents an important opportunity to ask the man responsible for the police in London about the treatment of Christian street preachers on our capital's streets. The whole session will be live-streamed and we plan to provide coverage throughout the day on Christian Concern’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

'We need your prayers'
In a country that used to lead the way in upholding Christian freedoms, freedom of speech is now under attack.

We’ve reached an important moment.

Will you join with Christians across the world to pray for street preacher Oluwole and Christian Concern
team?

If you can, please pray:
• For street preacher Oluwole and that he will be protected and encouraged
• For Sadiq Khan that he will recognise the need to do more to protect Christian freedoms in London
• For the London Assembly members who have shown such an interest in this case
• That our police force will do more to protect Christian street preachers
• For our legal team as they support Oluwole through the next steps
• That our petition calling on the Home Secretary to do more to protect freedom of speech on our streets will be shared widely and signed by many.

Pray for and support Christian Concern for their continued devotion and assistance to those Christians who have been oppressed and suffered for standing firm on their beliefs.