‘Courageous Christian Woman’: Street Preacher Wins Lawsuit After False Hate Speech Allegations

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A female street preacher in the UK, who was arrested last year for allegedly threatening members of the public, has been exonerated by a district judge.

Police arrested Hazel Lewis, 49, on February 12, 2020, outside Finsbury Park tube station in north London for making homophobic and racist comments. Several members of the community defended her during the arrest, asking the police, “What law did she break?

The allegations against Lewis included making a child cry and using hostile language towards a citizen. Police also charged her with harassment, alarm and distress.

BREAKING: The first Christian woman to stand trial for preaching in the streets since a landmark 1997 free speech case was told there was “no case to answer” by a district judge. https://t.co/MFzD0wuMwD

Christian Concern (@CConcern) August 9, 2021

Backed by the Christian Legal Center, the preacher faced a full trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.

In a ruling last week, District Judge Julia Newton noted, “The accused allegedly said, ‘you are an advocate of Satan and I rebuke you in Jesus name.’ I do not find these words threatening. These words were certainly not okay with. I don’t find them to be abusive either. “

“Also, regarding the distress. It is clear that a witness was disturbed and found them distasteful. She said other people were upset. She said she was upset and found these nasty words. However, this does not constitute harassment, alarm or distress, ”she noted.

“Also, there is no evidence as to why the children were crying. While there was a lot of noise, there were a lot of things that could have made the children cry. I find it to be. there is no case to answer. “

After 18 months of ongoing legal action, Lewis is now considering suing the police.

“All I did was preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I was arrested for it,” she said. “There are dangers in the streets, I was thrown urine and threatened, but Christians are called to preach the gospel of salvation and hope in any situation, as difficult as it is, so I’m not afraid.

“Despite this experience, I am determined to continue to preach. Since the start of the pandemic, I have seen more and more Christians take to the streets of London to preach.”

Andrea Williams, executive director of the Christian Legal Center, called Lewis a “courageous Christian woman” for her determination to refute the baseless accusations of hate speech leveled against her.

“It is frightening that a false accusation leveled at the police could see a woman preaching alone handcuffed, arrested and prosecuted,” Williams said. “The police were determined to charge him regardless of the evidence, and we are relieved that the courts saw through it.”

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