English street preacher faces 'hate speech' charges for comments on homosexuality
March 11, 2015
An English “street preacher” went on trial for hate speech on March 11, after witnesses charged that he had made offensive remarks in preaching against homosexuality.
Michael Overd, who faces three charges of offensive speech, says that his accusers have not supplied specifics to support the charges. One witness said that he was “unable to recall exactly what phrases [Overd] was using, but it was clear to me that it was homophobic.” Another witness for the prosecution says that he was angered by Overd’s remarks on homosexuality.
Overd counters that he made no inherently offensive remarks, but upheld Christian moral principles. The police, he said, should not be involved in regulating the content of preaching.
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Posted by: chady -
Mar. 12, 2015 9:27 AM ET USA
So much for 'Free speech' in the UK. Mike has been preaching the gospel on the streets of Taunton for over five years. But he’s faced real opposition — police even appealed to the public in a local newspaper to record him preaching so that they could get evidence of him making “offensive remarks”.Now the Crown Prosecution Service is bringing charges against him under the Public Order Act. Two previous attempts to prosecute him in 2010/12 lead to acquittals. See Christian Institute UK for update.
