‘Two-tier policing’: Pastor arrested and held in police cell for 13 hours after commenting on Islam and affirming sex is binary while street preaching

  • Pastor and grandfather Dia Moodley assaulted by member of public and
    then arrested
  • Avon and Somerset Police apologise after Mr Moodley’s signs,
    including one with Bible text, destroyed under their instruction
  • Mr Moodley pursuing complaint against police with support of ADF UK

BRISTOL (10 October 2024) –A Christian pastor was arrested after commenting on Islam and affirming that sex is binary while street preaching outside Bristol University. 

“Two-tier policing is sadly not a fiction or some conspiracy theory, it’s a reality that Christians in the UK have been experiencing for years."

- Dia Moodley, Pastor

After being assaulted by a member of the public, Dia Moodley was arrested by Avon and Somerset Police and held for 13 hours in a police cell for contrasting Christianity and Islam in response to a question. The arresting officer said Mr Moodley did this during Ramadan.

The investigation into Mr Moodley was dropped after legal representations were made to the police with the support of ADF UK, a faith-based legal advocacy organisation.

Also with the help of ADF UK, Mr Moodley is pursuing a complaint against the police for his treatment by them, including for the destruction of his four signs, one of which included Bible text, under their instruction after his arrest.

Avon and Somerset Police has already apologised to Mr Moodley for instructing staff at Bristol University to dispose of the signs.

Reacting to the incident, Mr Moodley said: “Two-tier policing is sadly not a fiction or some conspiracy theory, it’s a reality that Christians in the UK have been experiencing for years.

“It shouldn’t be for the state to decide which religions and ideologies must not be discussed or critiqued in the public street. The result is the normalisation of a two-tier society where some beliefs and ideologies are valued and protected, while others are undermined and outlawed.

“The world is looking at the dismal state of free speech in the UK with shock. What happened to me reflects a wider trend of increasing state censorship in the UK and across the West.”

Property destroyed

Surprisingly, this arrest came after Avon and Somerset Police previously conceded restrictions they placed on Mr Moodley preventing him from “passing comments on any other religion” besides Christianity were “disproportionate,” after these were challenged with the support of ADF UK and Free Speech Union.

After his arrest, Mr Moodley’s four signs were disposed of by university staff under the instruction of Avon and Somerset Police officers.

Avon and Somerset Police apologised for the destruction of his property. One officer told Mr Moodley in an email: “I’m sorry to advise that the signs were handed to… the UoB [University of Bristol] for them to dispose of.

“I cannot comment as to why this decision was made (as I was not present at the time), however I would like to apologise on behalf of my colleagues….

“Again, I am sincerely sorry that this action [sic].”

With the support of ADF UK, Mr Moodley is pursuing a complaint against the police for his treatment by them, including for the destruction of his signs under their instruction.

Barrister and legal counsel for ADF UK Jeremiah Igunnubole said: “We are glad Avon and Somerset Police dropped their investigation into Pastor Dia.

“But the fact that he was arrested, held in police custody for 13 hours, and had his property destroyed with the encouragement of Avon and Somerset police is objectively appalling. Nobody should be subject to discriminatory treatment for peacefully and lawfully sharing their core beliefs.

“In this case, Pastor Dia was himself a victim of crime, including assault, aggressive harassment and criminal damage and yet, perversely, he was the one treated as a criminal for peacefully exercising his fundamental rights.

“Everyone must be treated equally under the law. Freedom of speech cannot be the preserve of those expressing socially progressive ideals. In a democratic society, everyone must have the right to peacefully express their core beliefs, even when those beliefs are considered controversial or criticise other religions and belief systems.”

Assaulted and arrested

On the day he was arrested in March, in response to a question from a Muslim man, Mr Moodley stated his belief that there are differences between the moral standards of the God of Islam and the Christian God.

While preaching, Mr Moodley also expressed his view that God created human beings male and female and said this truth should not be denied.

Later on, an unknown person pushed him from his short stepladder, and another snatched a sign from his hand, causing him a severe soft tissue injury.

Three young people then trampled on his sign and refused to return it when asked.

Shortly after this incident, police arrived and arrested Mr Moodley for the views he had shared, despite the fact that he had been a victim of assault and criminal damage.

Avon and Somerset Police arrested Mr Moodley on suspicion of committing “racially or religiously aggravated harassment without violence” under Section 31(1)(c) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.

Mr Igunnubole commented on the arrest: “Christians in the UK have long suffered from two-tier policing simply for living out and sharing their Biblical beliefs. This should alarm anyone concerned with free speech, religious freedom, and the protection of democracy.

“Our free speech laws should be strengthened, and we urge Sir Keir Starmer to do so, to prevent what happened here from ever occurring again.”

Not an isolated incident

Mr Moodley has previously faced assault and intimidation on multiple occasions by members of the public who objected to his preaching.

Footage from one of these incidents went viral in July on X.

One of the men who intimidated Mr Moodley in that footage made a shocking video, where he can be seen with an Antifa tattoo and flag in the background, after the incident.

In the video, he misrepresented what Mr Moodley said and stated: “I did what I did and I don’t… regret it.”

Read more about Mr Moodley’s previous win against “disproportionate” restrictions on his free speech by Avon and Somerset Police Force here.

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Police settle case brought by Christian pastor they tried to forbid from “commenting on any other religion”

  • Christian leader receives settlement from police who wrongfully tried to ban him from criticising alternative worldviews, such as atheism and Islam
  • Avon & Somerset Police concede their restrictions on expression were “disproportionate” after successful challenge backed by ADF International and the Free Speech Union

BRISTOL (27 February 2024) – Avon & Somerset Police Force have conceded their restrictions on free speech were “disproportionate” after unlawfully censoring Christian leader, Dia Moodley, a Bristol-based pastor and father of four.

The police force had issued a warning notice to Moodley, who has engaged in occasional street evangelism for the past five years, which forbade him from, inter alia, “passing comments on any other religion or comparing them to Christianity” and “passing comments on beliefs held by Atheists or those who believe in evolution”.

A claim for damages was backed by ADF UK and Free Speech Union, who instructed solicitors from Ai Law.

“It isn’t for the police to decide which religions or worldviews can be free from criticism. When I preach, I am committed to speaking about the good news of Christianity in love, grace, and truth – but that doesn’t mean that I will never say something that others may disagree with. The nature of a free and democratic society is that we can speak publicly about our beliefs.

Thankfully, with support from ADF UK and the Free Speech Union, I have received some measure of justice after having been wrongfully silenced by authorities. But this creeping culture of censorship is detrimental to all of us in society, whatever we believe, and we must challenge it wherever we see it,” commented Dia Moodley, who successfully challenged police after they forbade him from speaking freely about his Christian beliefs – and comparing them to other religious views – in public.

A breach of free speech

Moodley had initially reached out to the Avon & Sommerset Police Force after being the victim of several incidents of racial abuse, at the advice of Bristol-based charity Stand Against Racism and Inequality. Officers began to regularly attend Moodley’s public preaching in order to protect both the pastor and his congregation.

In October 2021, Moodley arranged a meeting with the neighbourhood police force in order to maintain good working relations. However, at this meeting, the pastor was served with the warning notice, which he refused to sign.

In addition to forbidding criticism of religions other than Christianity, the warning notice further encroached on Moodley’s right to freedom of expression by banning him from “delivering a sermon or religious address at a time or place that has not had prior consent and approval of Avon & Somerset Constabulary.”

Backed by ADF International and the Free Speech Union, Moodley successfully challenged the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police for discrimination on religious grounds and for breaching his ECHR rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression; and freedom of assembly and association.

Commenting on the case, Bryn Harris, Chief Legal Officer for the Free Speech Union, said: “The state does not hold a monopoly on truth and the ability to discuss and debate ideas, including religious ideas, is the lifeblood of any genuinely free society. Yet, repeatedly, we see this principle violated by unaccountable police officers and local councils who aggressively pursue their own ideological causes rather than using scarce public resources to tackle real crime.”

Upon receiving news of the settlement, Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said, “Dia Moodley’s case exposes a clear double standard in British policing when the issue concerns the expression of core beliefs; particularly Christian beliefs. Bristol authorities unabashedly requested prior review of Dia’s sermons and banned him from speaking about any other religion – including atheism. This blatantly restricted his freedom of religion and speech in an attempt to redefine established British values in accordance with their own ideals.

Whilst we welcome the police force’s admission that their actions were disproportionate, it is crucial that the laws permitting such flagrant violations of freedom of speech are urgently addressed to prevent the need for Dia and others like him from being embroiled in years of legal proceedings only to defend what should have instantly been recognised as their lawful, peaceful and constitutional rights to speak freely in public.”

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