We’re publishing an original piece by Rev Dr William J.U. Philip, a Senior Minister in The Tron Church in Glasgow, about the disgraceful behaviour of the Metropolitan Police, who told a congregation of Polish Catholics to leave a church in Balham on Good Friday. Rev Philip was one of a group of Scottish church leaders who brought a Judicial Review against the Scottish Government, forcing them to lift the suspension on worship on March 25th. As he pointed out in his piece, the Government’s guidance does not prohibit collective worship and the congregants weren’t flouting social distancing rules, so the Police really had no excuse.
One has to hope that the Police will issue an apology, and that the Government will reiterate the fact that worship is perfectly lawful, and churches responsible for managing their own worship. But there are surely further questions to be asked as to why this kind of crass and needless harassment of ordinary Christians at worship should be seen as fair game, when by contrast so many other far less managed and safe events are treated by the police with kid gloves. One comment under the video suggested that the service relocate to Batley Grammar School, where large gatherings with absolutely no distancing seem to be entirely permissible. Others asked whether this kind of thing has happened – or would ever happen – in a Mosque during Ramadan, or at any other time for that matter. Quite.
Our police today will reverently sink to their knees before violent, statue-destroying BLM protesters; but they will threaten to arrest and fine those bowing the knee before Jesus Christ on Good Friday.
Worth reading in full.
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Blame the Government, not the police.
why? the police choose to turn a blind eye to many “crimes”, notable recent events being any craziness perpetrated by BLM or XR. There’s no reason they needed to shut down a service.
The Government controls the police, so mistakes, inconsistencies, excesses, etc, all stem from political control.
Apart from the Met and Police Scotland Police Services are supposed to be controlled by Police Commissioners 39 of whom are up for election in May this year.
According to Wiki (soz) most have the usual list of suspects standing except Lincs and Northants which have only Tory candidates.
About 10 have Reform UK (formerly Brexit) and a fair few have independents standing.
Voter turnout at these elections is usually pitifully low.
For the same reason the police and other government bodies sat around and allowed thousands upon thousands of children to be abused for decades.
WOKENESS, bias and fear of upsetting those who shout the loudest are the main drivers for the inability of the police and government to deal with different sections of society in an equal and measured way. When you lead or control for favour things soon spiral out of control.
During this time of media manipulated moral panic,we are witnessing the collapse of organized society as we once knew it. Since the signing of the Magna Carta eight centuries ago— one was innocent until proven guilty. Now one can be arrested by agents of the State and presumed “guilty” until proving –at great expense and duress — one’s innocence. Whereas once, one was deemed healthy until clinically diagnosed as sick, we are all now universally deemed a bio-hazard, unless otherwise deemed “exempt”. Whereas once, governments ostensibly governed on the basis of Constitutional Law . And the common law protected the right of individuals to do whatever they pleased, unless in express violation of Parliamentary approved statutes. Now all rights and privileges are solely permitted at the discretion of un-elected,unaccountable bureaucrats –who concoct evil schemes such as vaccine passports etc. Meanwhile the people we ostensibly elect to Parliament to represent us meekly claim they are “following the science”, therein becoming de facto tyrants. The worst part is that this societal moral panic is turning us all against one another. Instead of uniting to resist those who have unjustifiably created this fiasco. We are now breaking down into emotionally driven tribal groups… Read more »
Great post.
The church should take a stand against the evil that has befallen society, the reaction of the gentleman in Canada is a good lead.
https://twitter.com/Geopolitics_Emp/status/1378452625172140035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1378452625172140035%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flockdownsceptics.org%2F
Very well summarised but it’s not too late. We need to keep reminding each other that we will not be divided and conquered.
Because the tinmen know the Ummah will burn the city to the ground if they touch one hair on their heads?
Interesting that the comparison with treatment of other religious observers/political organisations is now being voiced quite openly, even by those who can’t so easily be smeared as ‘far right. Perhaps a line too many has been crossed.
Anyway, restrictions are being eased just in time for ramadan.
The police raid of the Balham church on Good Friday, during which they suspended divine service and sent the congregation packing, was illegal under English law Section 36 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 is clear on this point Despite the many statutory instruments enacted to control the current pandemic, none of these suspends the provisions of the aforementioned act, as far as I can tell The case is almost certainly justiciable; not least by virtue of the added weight of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If due process is followed, the officers involved are liable to up to two years in one of Her Majesty’s hotels! Here is the text of Section 36 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861: Whosoever shall, by threats or force, obstruct or prevent or endeavour to obstruct or prevent, any clergyman or other minister in or from celebrating divine service or otherwise officiating in any church, chapel, meeting house, or other place of divine worship, or in or from the performance of his duty in the lawful burial of the dead in any churchyard or other… Read more »