The London Metropolitan Police have agreed to pay the sum of £2,500 to a Nigerian street Christian preacher, Oluwole Ilesanmi, who preached on the street of London against Islam, as compensation for wrongful arrest humiliation and distressing treatment.
The 64 year old Ilesanmi was accused of Islamophobia, describing Islam as aberration on the street outside Southgate Tube station in London in February. The preacher was handcuffed and driven four miles away by police before his release.
The preacher admitted that he actually referred to Islam as an ‘aberration’ but said that he was just expressing his point of view as a Christian rather than denigrating Muslims.
The street preacher, who is a dentist by profession, was arrested by the London police following complain by passers-by who accused him of hate-speech.
His encounter with the police was recorded in a viral video. In the video, a policeman took his Bible away even as one of the police officers charged him for disturbing the peace.
“No one wants to hear that. They want you to go away,” the officer said.
But, the UK police have refused to apologize for taking him away from the tube station where he was arrested.
A Metro spokesman said: “the Metropolitan respects and upholds the rights of all individuals to practise freedom of speech, and this includes street preachers of all religions and backgrounds.
“However, if the language someone uses is perceived as being a potential hate crime, it is only right that we investigate. In this case, it was deemed appropriate to remove the man from the area.”
Source: The Mail on Sunday.
