A pastor who has drawn support from the White House intends to deliver a public Easter sermon in Bristol today despite fearing he could be arrested for a third time.
Dia Moodley, 58, was taken into custody in November on suspicion of "inciting religious hatred" following a street sermon where he criticised Islam and transgender ideology, his legal representatives say.
The father of four alleges that Avon and Somerset Constabulary questioned him about why he chose to preach in an area where Muslims would be present.
"I've been arrested for something which is absolutely ludicrous. I did nothing [wrong], but here I am on Saturday going out again to preach during Easter time," he said.
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Mr Moodley argues that Muslims can gather publicly for prayer in London without consequence, while he faces potential arrest for Christian preaching, a disparity he characterises as "two-tier policing".
Mr Moodley was arrested on November 22 on suspicion of a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence, as well as assault by beating.
According to his lawyers at ADF UK, the British branch of Alliance Defending Freedom, he had been comparing Christian theology with other faiths, including Islam and speaking against transgender ideology when officers detained him.
Video footage reportedly shows the pastor pushing away a bystander who had reached for his speaker's wire before she contacted police.
Dia Moodley is set to return to preaching today, four months after he was arrested
|ADF INTERNATIONAL
He was held under the Public Order Act 1986 and spent eight hours in custody.
Following his release, bail conditions barred him from Bristol city centre until late December, though these restrictions were subsequently lifted after his legal team made representations to police.
Despite more than four months passing since his arrest, no charges have been brought against him.
Mr Moodley claims police have repeatedly targeted his street preaching over the past four years, during which he has delivered sermons comparing Christianity with Islam and addressing topics such as abortion and homosexuality.
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Dia Moodley has claimed that Shabana Mahmood scrapping non-hate crime incidents does not protect free speech
|GETTY
In March 2024, officers arrested him outside Bristol University after he commented on Islam and stated that sex was binary. The force later apologised for destroying his sign, and prosecutors dropped the charges.
Three years earlier, in 2021, authorities prohibited him from commenting on other faiths and required police approval before delivering sermons.
His case attracted attention from Washington, where concerns about threats to British free speech were mounting.
Last March, he was among activists who met with US State Department officials sent to examine the situation in the UK.
Free speech campaigners have warned that Labour's proposed Islamophobia definition could effectively create a backdoor blasphemy law, undermining legal protections for expression.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last week scrapped non-crime hate incidents in their current form, responding to criticism that police were focusing on social media posts rather than street crime.
However, Mr Moodley's legal team argues this reform offers him no protection, as he faces a hate crime accusation carrying up to seven years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine, with no statutory deadline for resolution.
The pastor has urged Sir Keir Starmer to replace existing public order legislation with stronger free speech safeguards.
"My experience as a Christian pastor... undoubtedly shows there is a real risk of authorities allowing Christianity to be pushed out of public spaces in the UK," he said.