Pastor Moodley has engaged in occasional street evangelism in the UK since 2019. The Bristol-based pastor had initially reached out to Avon and Somerset Police 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 Pastor Moodley’s public preaching in order to protect both the pastor and his congregation.  

In October 2021, Pastor Moodley arranged a meeting with the local police force in order to maintain good working relations. However, at this meeting, he was served with a warning notice, which he declined to sign. The notice forbade Pastor Moodley 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”.  

In addition to forbidding criticism of religions other than Christianity, the warning notice further encroached on Pastor 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”.  

Double standard in British policing  

“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 Moodley’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,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF International.   

Backed by ADF International and the Free Speech Union, Pastor Moodley successfully challenged the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police for discrimination on religious grounds and for breaching his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; freedom of expression; and freedom of assembly and association. Avon and Somerset Police finally conceded their restrictions on free speech were “disproportionate” in February 2024.  

Assaulted and arrested   

Pastor Moodley’s troubles did not end there. In March 2024, he was arrested after commenting on Islam and affirming that sex is binary while street preaching outside Bristol University.    

In response to a question from a Muslim man, Pastor Moodley stated his belief that there are differences between the moral standards of God in Christianity and Islam. He 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 Pastor 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 Pastor 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.   

Pastor Moodley’s four signs, one of which included Bible text, were also destroyed under police instruction. 

Police apology 

The investigation into Pastor Moodley was dropped after legal representations were made to the police with the support of ADF International.  

In a vindication for Pastor Moodley, Avon and Somerset Police apologised for the destruction of his signs and reiterated that apology after he submitted a complaint, with the support of ADF International.  

However, the police have failed to even acknowledge Pastor Moodley’s formal request for compensation for the signs.  

Targeted again for peaceful preaching 

In March 2025, Pastor Moodley engaged in street preaching in Bristol city centre, where he spoke about the differences between Christianity and Islam, while holding a Quran. 

A crowd gathered and a number of Muslim men took offence at Pastor Moodley’s preaching, with one man threatening to stab him and another attempting to punch his wife. 

Muslim bystanders pushed the pastor off his ladder, pinned him to the floor, and tried to take his Quran, claiming it was their book, not his.  

In response, police officers told Pastor Moodley on two separate occasions that he would be arrested for a breach of the peace—despite the fact that he had been the victim of crime.  

No details of any of the Muslim men who had assaulted the pastor were taken on the day of the incident. 

A Senior Inspector then arrived and told Pastor Moodley, contrary to what the other officers had said previously, that there was no chance he would be arrested. 

The police have not charged any of the individuals who assaulted the pastor.  

The police even refused to investigate the man who threatened to stab the pastor, a decision that was overturned only after Pastor Moodley appealed it through the Victims’ Right to Review scheme.   

The police are refusing to investigate the other individuals who assaulted the pastor, despite the incident being recorded on video. Those individuals pinned Pastor Moodley to the floor and tried to steal his Quran.  

Pastor Moodley met with the US State Department prior to this incident and spoke about his previous experience as a victim of censorship in the UK, at a meeting facilitated ADF International. 

Pastor Moodley said: “It’s shocking that the police initially said I had breached the peace. This shows yet again that two-tier policing, which targets the expression of Christians, is a reality in modern day Britain. 

“My case is evidence of the severe free speech crisis in the UK, which has increasingly been making headlines and has even attracted expressions of alarm from the United States.” 

Second arrest for peaceful preaching  

On 22 November 2025, Pastor Moodley was engaging in street preaching in Bristol city centre on two topics: the reality of the sex binary and the falsehood of transgender ideology, and the theology of Christianity compared to other religions, including Islam.  

On the day, Pastor Moodley had a respectful conversation on Islam with three young Muslim women.  

Later on, one couple objected to Pastor Moodley’s views on transgender ideology.  

The woman called the police and two officers then arrived and solely focussed on the accounts of bystanders who objected to the pastor’s preaching. 

The police refused to engage with the pastor and members of his congregation and hear their account of what had happened.   

The police then arrested Pastor Moodley on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” and committing a “religiously aggravated” offence under the Public Order Act 1986, for peacefully expressing his Christian views. 

The pastor has a heart condition and was sweating visibly due to the stress of the situation.   

He asked for the handcuffs to be placed at the front of his body and not behind his back, which would make it difficult for him to breathe. The police officer initially appeared annoyed and reluctant to consider the request but eventually agreed.   

Pastor Moodley was held in a police cell for eight hours before being released.   

The bail conditions initially imposed on Pastor Moodley banned him from entering the city centre until 30 December. These were only overturned on 17 December, following representations to the police.  

The bail conditions prevented the pastor from preaching in the busiest part of the city for most of December, stopped him from attending to an important pastoral matter and disrupted his personal life. 

Police visited Pastor Moodley’s home in January and questioned him further. The criminal investigation is ongoing and ADF International is providing legal support to the pastor, who is considering legal action against the police for the violation of his free speech rights.