UXBRIDGE—A Christian preacher accused of breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has told a court when he held up a sign with a verse from the Bible outside a clinic in west London he was protesting against the “buffer zone” itself and not abortion.
Stephen Green, 73, from Carmarthen in Wales, is being prosecuted by Ealing Council under section 67 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Mr. Green, who is director of the campaign group Christian Voice, was held to be in breach of the PSPO for holding a sign outside a MSI (Maries Stopes International) Reproductive Choices clinic in Mattock Lane, Ealing on Feb. 6, 2023.
The sign said, “Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”
Mr. Green told Uxbridge magistrates court on Friday he was protesting against the idea there could be areas of the country where “the word of God” was forbidden.
PSPO are usually reserved for anti-social behaviour such as littering, alcohol misuse and prostitution, but Ealing Council became the first council to pass one in an attempt to stop what they said was the harassment of women who were already in a very distressed state.
Since then similar PSPOs have been introduced in Birmingham, Manchester, Bournemouth and Twickenham in south west London.
Giving evidence on Friday, Mr. Green was asked by his barrister why he had travelled from Wales to Ealing on Feb. 6, 2023.
Preacher Felt Orders Were ‘State Over-Reach’
Mr. Green said he felt the PSPOs amounted to “state over-reach” and he said he was acting as a “prophetic voice” to lay out to the authorities why what they were doing was wrong.The preacher said the verse was about “human development” and not abortion and he was then asked by Mr. Phillips if he had been fearful that he would be prosecuted for his protest.
Mr. Green said: “I had to do what I had to do. If the machinery of the state is trying to say that there are places where the word of God cannot be expressed I have to challenge that.”
Ellis Sareen, a barrister representing the council, said Mr. Green could have used a verse which emphasised the importance of preaching the gospel or freedom of speech but he deliberately chose one which contained the word “womb” and was therefore clearly an act of “disapproval” of abortion, making it a breach of the PSPO.
If convicted, Mr. Green could faced a maximum sentence of six months in prison or a £1,000 fine.
The council passed a PSPO in April 2018, which forbids, “protesting, namely engaging in an act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services.”
The court heard the order listed a number of words, including “abortion”, “foetus”, “baby”, “mum”, “Hell”, “soul” and “murder” which were banned.
Mr. Green pleaded not guilty to breaching a PSPO and his barrister, Michael Phillips, cited the European human rights convention and the right of freedom of religion and free speech.
Mr. Sareen made a point of saying the council accepted the PSPO was an interference with Article 9, which enshrines the “freedom of thought, belief and religion,” and Article 10 which protects “freedom of expression.”
But he told the court the order was “proportionate” because it only covered a small geographical area and had a specific purpose in protecting vulnerable women from “intimidation”.
Mr. Sareen said the High Court and the Court of Appeal had already upheld the legality of Ealing Council’s PSPO.
‘Chilling Effect on Society’
Mr. Phillips said Friday’s hearing had “huge ramifications” and he said, “It has a chilling effect on our society when the state, using its armoury, says you must not read that bit of the Bible here. Other bits are fine but if you read that verse you will have committed a criminal offence.”Earlier the court was shown CCTV footage of Mr. Green outside the clinic, holding the psalm placard in his left hand.
Conor Dunley, the MSI clinic’s operations manager, gave evidence and told the court two nurses had flagged up to him Mr. Green’s presence on the morning of Feb. 6, 2023.
Mr. Dunley said he went outside and told Mr. Green he could not protest outside the clinic and warned him he would call the police.
Theologian Called as Expert Witness
In court on Friday, theologian, Dr. Martin Parsons, was called to testify as a defence witness.Dr. Parsons told the court, “the understanding that abortion is murder has been part of Christian theology since the earliest times.”
District Judge Kathryn Verghis said she would give her ruling at a later date and adjourned the case.
