Preacher found guilty for holding Bible verse sign in buffer zone.
Stephen Green will appeal his conviction for holding Psalm 139 sign.
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Found guilty
Preacher and Christian campaigner Stephen Green was found guilty on 1st February 2024 of breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) by holding a sign with a Bible verse near an abortion facility in Ealing on 6th February 2023.
Mr Green, National Director of prayer and action group Christian Voice, was found guilty of an offence following his display of a verse from the psalms within the Mattock Lane PSBO zone in Ealing, west London. The verse read:
Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
(‘Reins’ is an old expression for ‘kidneys’ or ‘insides’).
Conditional Discharge
Stephen gave evidence that he was protesting against buffer zones that ban the free proclamation of the Bible rather than abortion itself. However, District Judge Kathryn Verghis, sitting in Uxbridge Magistrates Court, ruled that by holding the sign he was guilty of protesting by ‘engaging in an act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services’.
Judge Verghis said that although the PSPO curtailed his human rights, it was necessary and proportionate to stop what she, and prosecuting barrister Ellis Sareen, accepted was an entirely peaceful protest by Mr Green. Mr Sareen acknowledged there was no evidence of any ‘service user’ suffering any detriment on the day and that the poster was only ‘an oblique reference’ to abortion.
The judge declined to fine Mr Green, the maximum for the offence being £1000, instead giving him a 12-month conditional discharge. Judge Verghis also ordered the preacher to pay Ealing Council prosecution costs from of £2600, half what they were demanding. Stephen is refusing to pay.
’Leaves the Bible in chains’
Stephen Green said outside the court: ‘This verdict is a blow against our God-given freedom of speech and our Lord’s express instruction to preach the Gospel. It upholds a local law which prohibits words found in hundreds of verses of the very Bible presented to King Charles at his Coronation on 6th May last year. It leaves the Bible in chains.
‘Buffer zones and this conviction mean that what we can say and what we can display from the Holy Bible are being licenced by the state. I have no choice but to continue to defend myself and fight for justice.
‘People are right to be concerned about the buffer zone legislation. To bar Christian witness and to control what people can say is deeply draconian and particularly discriminatory against Christians, while it appears Muslim protesters can say what they like.
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Appeal lodged
‘This finding of “guilty” cannot be allowed to stand. It is is a direct attack on the Bible and free speech, There are serious implications for everyone’s freedom to express their religion, our freedom of speech and our freedom of assembly.
At his coronation, the King promised to “Uphold the Laws of God and the True Profession of the Gospel”. No state, especially not the British state, with our Christian constitution, has any authority to prohibit what God has commanded.
‘If someone does not take a stand, those in power will seize more and more of our God-given freedoms. That is why I stood outside Marie Stopes in Ealing and it is why my solicitors have already lodged an appeal to refer the decision to the Crown Court. With the continued help of the Christian Legal Centre, the case can now be heard afresh.’
’None of us is free’
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre commented:
‘Psalm 139 is one of the most well known and beautiful passages in the Bible which points to the hope and comfort of each person being wonderfully made and looked after by God. Hearing a judge say that verses from Psalm 139 are an ‘act of protest’ and to be punished is devastating.
‘The effect of the PSPO is to create an area where Bible verses and prayer are outlawed. If it is now a criminal offence to hold a sign with a Bible verse on it in a London street, then none of us is free.’
Stephen Green was represented in court by Michael Phillips.
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Thank you for your courage and leadership by example, and to all the many supporters who also stand with you. Obviously, you are taking a very public and potentially costly stand but many people around the world support you and you are in the prayers of many, many people.
We need to pray that this will be the start of a major protest against mass-abortion and that God will use this to bring down the mass-abortion, child destruction, world depopulation agenda.
Remember – To the victor the spoils! The one(s) who go in first, with God, win, and to them go the victory spoils. So be of good cheer Stephen, you are blessed in heaven, you are feared in hell, and the victory parade and feast is being prepared, with Christian Voice getting a load of blessing.
Supporters, it is up to us to ensure that the largely silent church and its leaders wake up to this evil and start saying something.
Don’t be put off by those who say things like ‘We only preach the gospel here’ or ‘We don’t want to offend those who are going through remorse over what has happened.’ We only say and do what we do in kindness but according to Christian Concern there are 700 abortions per day in the UK on average. We can’t keep silent any longer, we will if necessary, have to speak out. And it is what Jesus did.
And BTW, Jesus preached a gospel that was ;1.Salt that tasted of something, and 2.Fiery light – that’s the true gospel.