| | | UK: Christian convicted of ‘religiously aggravated harassment,’ fined $1189 for saying ‘all Muslims will go to hell’
OCT 4, 2020 2:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER
Note the statement of Judge Anthony Leonard QC: “The appellant must have realised he was speaking directly to someone of the Muslim faith and who had already said to the appellant he cannot say that.”
All right. So Oluwole Ilesanmi said something offensive to Mr. Mohammod. According to Leonard, Ilesanmi should have stopped, because Mohammod had already told Ilesanmi that “he cannot say that.”
Thought experiment: if a Muslim preacher had said “all Christians will go to hell” to a Christian, and refused to stop when the Christian told him that “he cannot say that,” do you think a British court would have convicted the Muslim of “religious aggravated harassment” and fined him $1189? Neither do I.
Leonard’s statement is the plainest articulation yet of the new reality of British society: Muslims are a protected class. They must not be criticized, challenged, questioned, and above all, they must not be mocked. When a Muslim tells you that you can’t say something, you better stop saying it, and pronto. Or else.
Britain is finished.
“Christian street preacher, 65, who was once awarded £2,500 for ‘wrongful arrest’ when his Bible was confiscated loses appeal against conviction for ranting ‘all Muslims are going to hell,’” by Antonia Paget, Mailonline, September 30, 2020 (thanks to Henry):
A Christian street preacher, once awarded £2,500 for ‘wrongful arrest’ and the confiscation of his Bible, has lost his appeal against conviction for ranting: ‘All Muslims are going to hell.’
Oluwole Ilesanmi, 65, was given the Met Police handout in July last year after officers handcuffed him over accusations of Islamophobia while he ‘preached’ near Southgate Tube station in north London.
In a video which has been viewed over three million times, the pastor told police not to ‘take my Bible away’ after describing Islam as an ‘aberration’ in February 2019.
But the devout Christian was arrested again after heading to Bishopsgate, central London and repeatedly shouting: ‘All Muslims will go to hell’ last 7 September.
Ilesanmi then pointed at a shop worker, referred to only as Mr Mohammod, and launched a vile tirade of abuse as he ‘invaded his space.’
The former dentist told the victim: ‘You will go to hell’ before raising his voice and repeating the statement when Mr Mohammod asked him to stop.
The pastor was convicted of religiously aggravated assault at Hendon Magistrates’ Court earlier this year and fined £500 but launched an appeal against his conviction and sentence at the Old Bailey….
But prosecutor John Crawford argued that the line between ‘legitimate freedom of expression’ and a ‘threat to public order’ had been crossed.
Judge Anthony Leonard QC, magistrates Alexia Fetherstonhaugh and Andrew Hammond, dismissed Ilesanmi’s appeal.
He was sentenced to a two-year conditional discharge with a requirement to pay £300 in compensation and £620 in costs.
The judge said: ‘When he turned from preaching his views to anyone who happened to pass and directed his comments to Mr Mohammod in particular and said in an increasingly angry tone “All Muslims are going to hell” and having pointed at Mr Mohammod went on saying “you are going to hell” before repeating it in front of a police officer, his behaviour lost the protection to freedom of speech under Articles 9 and 10.
‘We judge that he went beyond what he was entitled to express directly to Mr Mohammod.
‘The appellant must have realised he was speaking directly to someone of the Muslim faith and who had already said to the appellant he cannot say that..
‘It follows that the use of words which we judge clearly demonstrated hostility towards Mr Mohammod based on his membership to that religion.
‘It was only the appellant’s good fortune that Mr Mohammod managed to control the anger and upset that he felt at the remarks and turned to the police for support.’
Ilesanmi, of Speyside, Southgate, denied but was convicted of religiously aggravated harassment….
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