The Christian Institute

News Release

Police CSO tells Christians: ‘you can’t preach here, this is a Muslim area’

A Police Community Support Officer stopped two church workers from handing out Christian leaflets in public in an area of Birmingham saying, “you can’t preach here, this is a Muslim area.”

PCSO Naguthney (30825) told the Christians they were committing a hate crime by attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity and said, “You have been warned. If you come back here and get beat up, well you have been warned.”

The incident happened to Mr Arthur Cunningham and Mr Joseph Abraham as they were handing out Christian tracts on the corner of Ellesmere and Alum Rock Road on 19 February this year.

Lawyers acting for Mr Cunningham and Mr Abraham last week delivered a strongly worded letter to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. The letter gives notice that they are entitled to bring a claim against West Midlands Police for breach of their convention rights under Section 6(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Mr Cunningham and Mr Abraham are seeking a full and unreserved written apology, recognition that their convention rights were infringed by the conduct of the police officers, damages and reasonable legal costs.

The case is being backed by The Christian Institute.

A copy of the solicitors’ letter, giving full details of the incident, is available here:

https://www.christian.org.uk/cunningham/solicitorsletter.pdf