London: Christian faces six months in jail for holding up verse in front of abortion clinic
Stephen Green, a 72-year-old Christian, faces a six-month prison sentence for holding up a sign with a Bible verse near an abortion clinic in London, in breach of a recently put in place order to protect public spaces.
"It is you who formed my loins, who wove me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 "That's the verse Stephen Green, a Christian from Wales, wrote on a sign he held up outside an abortion clinic in London on Feb. 6.
He was then reported to the police by the clinic staff. By the time law enforcement arrived, he was gone, but 7 months later he received a prosecution notice.
The septuagenarian is accused of violating a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). This order issued by Ealing Council (local authority of the London Borough of Ealing) prohibits prayer, protest and "engagement in an act of approval/disapproval" towards abortion services in a "buffer zone" surrounding the clinic.
Green said he was "deeply shocked" by the lawsuit, which he called "an attack on the Bible and free speech." "I am determined to defend myself and fight for justice," he continued. He adds that "people are right to be worried about buffer zone legislation. Banning Christian witness and controlling what people can say in an area is draconian and anti-Christian."
The 72-year-old Green's defence is being handled by the Christian Legal Center (CLC), which says in a press release that PSPO legislation is "generally reserved for anti-social behaviour such as dog soiling, littering and alcohol and drug abuse".
Andrea Williams, executive director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: "It is disturbing that a man in his 70s holding a sign with a Bible verse on it is now being treated as an 'emergency' situation by the police." She further believes that "buffer zones are an oppressive element of the current culture that forces consent and silences dissent."
A hearing was held on Tuesday, 17 October, at 10 a.m. If found guilty, Green faces up to six months in prison and a £1,000 fine.
"It is you who formed my loins, who wove me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 "That's the verse Stephen Green, a Christian from Wales, wrote on a sign he held up outside an abortion clinic in London on Feb. 6.
He was then reported to the police by the clinic staff. By the time law enforcement arrived, he was gone, but 7 months later he received a prosecution notice.
The septuagenarian is accused of violating a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). This order issued by Ealing Council (local authority of the London Borough of Ealing) prohibits prayer, protest and "engagement in an act of approval/disapproval" towards abortion services in a "buffer zone" surrounding the clinic.
Green said he was "deeply shocked" by the lawsuit, which he called "an attack on the Bible and free speech." "I am determined to defend myself and fight for justice," he continued. He adds that "people are right to be worried about buffer zone legislation. Banning Christian witness and controlling what people can say in an area is draconian and anti-Christian."
The 72-year-old Green's defence is being handled by the Christian Legal Center (CLC), which says in a press release that PSPO legislation is "generally reserved for anti-social behaviour such as dog soiling, littering and alcohol and drug abuse".
Andrea Williams, executive director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: "It is disturbing that a man in his 70s holding a sign with a Bible verse on it is now being treated as an 'emergency' situation by the police." She further believes that "buffer zones are an oppressive element of the current culture that forces consent and silences dissent."
A hearing was held on Tuesday, 17 October, at 10 a.m. If found guilty, Green faces up to six months in prison and a £1,000 fine.
