Christian Free Speech Targeting by Police
Pastor Dia preached peacefully. He was attacked, then threatened with arrest by police. Stand with him.
Assaulted for Preaching. Threatened by Police.
Pastor Dia’s Case Exposes a Free Speech Crisis
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More InformationChristian pastor Dia Moodley was violently assaulted in Bristol by men who objected to his peaceful street preaching on the differences between Christianity and Islam. One man even threatened to stab him.
But when police arrived, it was Pastor Dia—not his attackers—who was threatened with arrest for “public order offences”. This is two-tier policing—an example where Christian expression was initially targeted, while those who reacted with violence walked free.
This shocking incident reveals a growing free speech crisis in the UK, where public order and other legislation is used to silence Christian voices and enforce de facto blasphemy laws.
ADF International is coordinating Pastor Dia’s action against the police, standing up for the free speech rights of every person. Will you help support his fight—and defend the right to peacefully share the Christian faith in public?
What Happened to Pastor Dia Should Concern Us All
On 22 March, Pastor Dia Moodley was peacefully preaching in Bristol city centre, sharing about the differences between Christianity and Islam while holding a Quran.
As he spoke, a large crowd gathered. Several Muslim men took offence. One man threatened to stab Pastor Dia. Another tried to punch his wife.
The situation escalated as bystanders attempted to forcibly take the Quran from him. They pushed him off his ladder, pinned him to the ground, and asserted the Quran was theirs, not his.
In response, instead of protecting Pastor Dia, two police officers—on separate occasions—told him he would be arrested for breach of the peace. Shockingly, no details were taken of the men who had assaulted him.
Members of the public spoke up, defending Pastor Dia and insisting he had done nothing hateful or wrong. A Senior Inspector eventually arrived and contradicted the earlier officers, assuring Pastor Dia there was no chance he would be arrested.
ADF International is supporting Pastor Dia in his action against Avon and Somerset Police. This includes a formal complaint regarding their treatment of him and their failure to investigate serious criminal offences committed against him.
But this was not an isolated incident.
In March of last year, Pastor Dia was arrested and held for 13 hours in a police cell, after preaching about the differences between Christianity and Islam in the same city—even though he was also assaulted on this occasion.
To make matters worse, the signs he used while preaching were destroyed under police instruction. After a complaint was submitted with ADF International’s help, the police apologised for the destruction of the signs—reiterating an earlier apology they had made on the matter.
Now, Pastor Dia is taking an action for compensation for the destroyed signs, with the support of ADF International.
The incident in March 2024 followed a previous attempt by Avon and Somerset Police to censor the pastor. They had imposed restrictions banning him from “passing comments on any other religion” besides Christianity. Those restrictions were later acknowledged to be “disproportionate” after they were challenged with the support of ADF International and the Free Speech Union.
Dia Moodley’s case exposes a clear double standard in British policing when the issue concerns the expression of core beliefs; particularly Christian beliefs.
Jeremiah Igunnubole
Legal Counsel for ADF UK
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