Mayor Says “There Are Limitations to Free Speech” After Preacher’s Arrest

An open-air preacher was arrested in London – twice – for making a statement that appeared to the subjective opinion of some to be “Islamaphobic.” The preacher’s name is Oluwole Ilesanmi and he was arrested for breach of the peace, before being released.

In commenting on the matter, London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said, “It’s always been clear that freedom of speech is critical and must be protected but also the police must be able to investigate when allegations are made a criminal offense.”

Mayor Khan is a Sunni Muslim by birth.

The matter became so controversial, in part, because the police took away the preacher’s Bible and did so without an apology, as though it were dangerous contraband.

The mayor continued…

“There’s not an unlimited right to freedom of expression or free speech. There are limitation and there’s a balance that needs to be done. “

In 1998, the United Kingdom implemented the Human Rights Act of the European Union. The Act states in Article 10 that, “everyone has the right to freedom of expression.” That law is still in place until ‘Brexit’ is officially finalized on March 29. However, Brexit should only strengthen Free Speech in the UK, as the 1998 law adds, “[free speech] may be subject to formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society.”

Mayor Kahn was asked in the press conference if Christians could be assured that they were allowed to read from any part of the Bible that they wanted without fear of arrest, and the mayor responded by stating that he couldn’t rule out arrest for reading certain Bible passages in the future.

You can watch the arrest below.