"Thou shalt not (silently) pray"

[George K]

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/12/24/without-a-hope-or-a-prayer-why-the-arrest-of-a-british-woman-outside-of-an-abortion-clinic-is-a-wake-up-call-for-free-speech/

Pictures from Birmingham show Vaughan-Spruce, 45, simply standing near the abortion clinic silently praying when an officer confronts her. She was not blocking access or displaying any protest signs or material. Nevertheless, she was arrested, jailed, interrogated, and ultimately charged with four counts of violating the abortion clinic “buffer zone.”

According to reports, the West Midlands Police officer asked her “are you praying?” She responded “I might be praying in my head, but not out loud.”

That was it. She was arrested for praying “in her head” near an abortion clinic.

A recent order from September 7 made clear that praying near an abortion clinic is now a criminal act in the country. The Birmingham City Council order says that prohibited acts includes “but is not limited to graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling.”

A slightly different version:

In a corrective statement attached to the post, they wrote: “The woman in the video, Isabel Vaughan Spruce, was not arrested for silently praying.

“She was arrested for breaking a temporary Public Space Protection Order on four separate occasions which were used to ban protests outside of an abortion clinic due to safety concerns.”

Ms Spruce was charged with breaching an exclusion zone and “four counts of failing to comply with a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)”, according to West Midlands police.

[Mik]

Orwellian. Surprised the police are cooperating.

[George K]

From the 2nd story, I gather that she has had previous encounters - but never arrested for them until this time. And, she was arrested, not for actually praying, but for refusing to "come down to the station."

I doubt either of these would fly in the US.

[Mik]

I do too. There is a difference between the letter and spirit of the law. One person standing silently with no sign is not impeding anything.

[Jolly]

No Bill of Rights in England, lads.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Jolly said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

No Bill of Rights in England, lads.

You know what the Bill of Rights is an extension of, right? We didn't reinvent the wheel.

[Horace]

@Aqua-Letifer said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

@Jolly said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

No Bill of Rights in England, lads.

You know what the Bill of Rights is an extension of, right? We didn't reinvent the wheel.

That would be the Magna Carta.

Follow me for more historical fun facts.

[Jolly]

@Aqua-Letifer said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

@Jolly said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

No Bill of Rights in England, lads.

You know what the Bill of Rights is an extension of, right? We didn't reinvent the wheel.

We didn't invent it, but we darn sure codified into law and the national psyche.

[Copper]

@George-K said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

That was it. She was arrested for praying “in her head” near an abortion clinic.

The policeman was listening to the prayer in his head.

She got the publicity she wanted.

[George K]

https://reason.com/2024/10/17/british-man-convicted-of-criminal-charges-for-praying-silently-near-abortion-clinic/

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K seems pretty goofy.

How do they know what he was praying for.

[George K]

@taiwan_girl said in "Thou shalt not (silently) pray":

How do they know what he was praying for.

They are mind readers. Those Brits, you know...