A district Judge has convicted retired Northern Ireland Pastor Clive Johnston, giving him fines totaling £450 for breaching abortion ‘Safe Access Zones’ legislation.
Pastor Johnston was preaching from one of the most well-known Bible verses, John 3:16, in the controversial ‘Safe Access Zone’ outside Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital. He had no banners or placards, and made no mention of – or allusion to – abortion during his preaching. The Christian Institute who have been helping Mr Johnston with his legal case say this is the first of its kind conviction and sets a chilling precedent for making the preaching of the Gospel a criminal offence.
VIDEO SCRIPT
A retired pastor has been convicted for preaching on John 3:16 within one of Northern Ireland’s abortion censorship zones.
The former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland Clive Johnston, has been convicted of two charges for holding an open-air service on the fringes of a buffer zone opposite Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital last year.
And this is the moment captured on body cam footage he was challenged by police to halt their outreach event:
You have been directed to leave a safe access zone by police and failed to do so. If you do not leave immediately police may remove you and if you resist you may be removed and liable to procecution.
After being found guilty by at the hearing on the 7th of May at Coleraine Magistrates court, he called it a “dark day for Christian freedom”.
We made no reference whatsoever to abortion and yet the buffer zone law is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offence. At 78 years I find myself for the first time convicted of a crime.
Ciarán Kelly Director of The Christian Institute who’ve been supporting Mr Johnston’s case gave his response to the ruling:
When this legislation was being discussed there were assurances that it would not criminalise Gospel preaching and we find today that this already controversial, unjust buffer zone law has been selectively applied to just that criminalise Gospel preaching. This is creeping censorship quite clearly and if the ruling is allowed to stand it will represent a shocking restriction on religious liberty on freedom of speech.
And The Christian Institute is considering their options in the next few weeks to appeal this ruling.
Recording Location
Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
Organization featured in this Story
The Christian Institute – www.christian.org.uk
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