A Christian pro-life activist has been awarded £13,000 from police after she was arrested twice for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham.
The Christian anti-abortion activist was first arrested in November of 2022 for silently praying in a so-called “buffer zone,” an area surrounding an abortion clinic, around which local authorities instituted a Public Spaces Protection Order prohibiting protests and the expression of any “approval or disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means.”
While Vaughan-Spruce, supported by the conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom UK, was acquitted of all charges in February 2023, she was arrested again weeks later for the same offence. Footage of the arrest went viral as an officer was heard saying: “You’ve said you’re engaging in prayer, which is the offence.”
Commenting on her £13,000 payout from the police on Monday, the activist said: “Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that ‘prayer is an offence’.
“There is no place for Orwell’s Thought Police in 21st-century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that.
“Yet, despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces. Our culture is shifting towards a clampdown on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship.”
‘Engaging in Prayer Is The Offence’ — Pro-Life Activist Arrested for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Facilityhttps://t.co/ISXMQA8iGw
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 7, 2023
“A member of the public who had been arrested on suspicion of breaching the PSPO subsequently made a civil claim for unlawful arrest, assault and a breach of their human rights. We have now settled that claim without any admission of liability.”
While the payout represents a victory for the cause of religious liberty and freedom of speech in Britain, it comes as the new left-wing Labour Party government is reportedly considering measures to formally criminalise silent prayer outside abortion clinics on a national level.
Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord David Frost said: “It is incredible that people have been arrested for thought crime in modern Britain. I am very glad Ms Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation for her unjust arrest for this so-called offence.
“But if a recent report is correct that the government is considering formally criminalising silent prayer outside abortion centres, then there will be further such cases, and then not just freedom of speech but freedom of thought will be under threat. It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation.
‘Engaging in Prayer Is The Offence’ — Pro-Life Activist Arrested for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Facilityhttps://t.co/ISXMQA8iGw
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 7, 2023
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