A pastor is considering legal motion against the police after he was arrested over public comments he made about Islam and transgender ideology while street preaching.
Pastor Dia Moodley was arrested by Avon and Somerset Police in Bristol last November.
He was arrested on suspicion of inciting religious hatred under the Public Order Act 1986 after sharing his Christian views on Islam and transgender ideology while preaching in Bristol city centre.
He was then held in custody for eight hours and released on bail with conditions banning him from entering the town centre, meaning he couldn’t engage in street preaching through the Christmas period.
These bail conditions were later lifted after Pastor Moodley made representations to the police, but he was questioned by two law enforcement officials at his home on 8 January and invited to a voluntary interview under caution.
Supported by the Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF), Pastor Moodley is considering whether to attend the interview and is waiting to listen to whether he can be criminally charged over the incident.
Commenting on the case, ADF said his comments were each “peaceful” and “lawful”.
Pastor Moodley said his arrest had been “extremely difficult personally” and that he was a victim of “two-tier policing”.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen and it feels surreal that the police have criminalised me so harshly and repeatedly merely for peacefully expressing my Christian views in the general public square,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I feel that the police view me, a Christian pastor, as a simple goal and are afraid of others being offended by my lawful speech. This is two-tier policing in motion.”
It is the second time Mr Moodley has been arrested by Avon and Somerset Police for his street preaching, the last time occurring in March 2025 after he preached concerning the differences between Christianity and Islam while holding a Quran. ADF said that on the time, he was assaulted by Muslim bystanders and that one man had threatened to stab him, yet no charges have ever been brought against them.
Legal Counsel for ADF International, Jeremiah Igunnubole, said Pastor Moodley’s latest arrest “shows police are using public order laws to impose de facto blasphemy laws within the UK”.
He suggested it doesn’t bode well for the longer term of free speech as the federal government moves forward with the introduction of an official definition of ‘anti-Muslim hatred’, despite strong objections from other faiths.
“The police must stop their two-tier approach of criminalising lawful speech. There has long been a pressing need for Parliament to pass laws to make sure the precise to freedom of expression is robustly protected on this country,” said Mr Igunnubole.
“Pastor Dia’s case is all of the more pressing as the federal government finalises its broad and ambiguous definition of ‘anti-Muslim hatred’, which risks censoring legitimate speech related to Islam.
“Pastor Dia’s case shows how authorities can misconstrue peaceful comments on Islam as ‘hateful’ and criminal.
“This misconstruction can be repeated unless clarity is provided to preserve the power of residents to peacefully comment, discuss and criticise in accordance with their core beliefs.”
Avon and Somerset Police have been contacted for comment.
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