A Christian street preacher who was arrested after protesting Islam in the wake of the London Bridge terrorist attack in 2017 has had his appeal rejected by the High Court.
Ian Sleeper was arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 for causing “harassment, alarm, and distress” after displaying a sign that said “Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus is love and hope”.
He was held for 13 hours before being released without charge. He later sued the police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment but lost and appealed.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the High Court said his arrest was justified due to the risk of public disorder because of tensions following the 2017 attacks. The Christian Legal Centre (CLC), which supported Mr Sleeper in his legal action, said there was no evidence of such a risk.
The CLC called Tuesday’s ruling “a concerning setback to the right of free speech” and alleged “two-tier policing” towards Mr Sleeper after officers failed to take action against pro-Palestine protesters calling for jihad against Israel during recent protests.
Mr Sleeper said the way he was treated was “completely wrong” and that he plans to appeal.
“The police have never apologised and continue to believe that what they did was right,” he said.
“Recent events in London following the conflict in the Middle East has [sic] exposed that anyone protesting Israel and calling for violence would not be treated as I was by the police.
“There is no consistency in policing over these matters and what has happened to me and on our streets in the past month should be of grave concern to many.
“I will continue to pursue justice on this matter for as long as it takes and am pleased to have the opportunity to appeal the previous ruling.”
CLC chief executive Andrea Williams said that police action against Mr Sleeper was “disproportionate”.
“What happened to Mr Sleeper in 2017 has been prophetic for what we now see on London’s streets during pro-Hamas protests,” she said.
“The police have upheld the right for Islamic protesters to call for genocide without interference, and anyone who counter-protests and disagrees faces the full force of the law.
“Ian explicitly said ‘love Muslims’ … How can you be free to criticise Islam in public if the words you mean and explicitly say are ignored in the courts?”
