Nobody should be criminalized for expressing their faith.
76-year-old Rosa Lalor has successfully overturned her fine after she was arrested for taking a prayer walk near an abortion facility.
But parts of UK seek to make public prayer ban permanent.
Grandmother receives justice after being arrested for prayer walk during lockdown
When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Rosa Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Rosa wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Rosa was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.
Merseyside Police have now conceded that such detention was wrong, and that Rosa was acting within her rights, indeed having a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors praying.
But despite the police force deeming Rosa’s actions to be a reasonable excuse under coronavirus legislation, Liverpool council and other authorities throughout the UK are now seeking to introduce censorship zones outside of abortion facilities to prevent the kind of activity for which Rosa has now received full vindication.
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"I never thought that in a democratic country like the UK, I would be arrested for a simple and solitary prayer walk."
- Rosa Lalor
Case Summary
- 76-year-old Rosa Lalor has successfully overturned her fine after she was arrested for taking a prayer walk near an abortion facility
- Liverpool, Bournemouth, Aberdeen councils move to towards permanent prayer ban on public streets
- Northern Ireland’s national “buffer zones” under scrutiny at UK Supreme Court, while Scottish government silences critics of the policy
LONDON (July 18, 2022) –
Is a silent prayer on a public street a criminal act? Not according to the case of 76-year-old grandmother Rosa Lalor, from Liverpool, who has successfully challenged a penalty given to her while out walking and silently praying near an abortion facility.
When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Lalor wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Lalor was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.
Merseyside Police have now conceded that such detention was wrong, and that Lalor was acting within her rights, indeed having a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors praying.
“I’m delighted that the prosecution has finally dropped this charge after a long and exhausting battle for justice. I took this challenge forward with support from ADF UK to show that we do all have a fundamental right to pray – not least pray as I did, in the privacy of my own mind. It was wrong for the police officer to tell me that I could not pray in a public street. It’s important for officers to respect basic religious freedom, and improve their understanding of how that right manifests, in order to maintain a truly tolerant society,” commented Lalor.
But despite the police force deeming Lalor’s actions to be a reasonable excuse under coronavirus legislation, Liverpool council is now seeking to introduce censorship zones to prevent the kind of activity for which Lalor has now received full vindication.
Meanwhile, the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Northern Ireland Bill to prevent “influencing” a person, whether directly or indirectly, within 100m of abortion facilities, will face scrutiny at the UK Supreme Court on July 19-20. The Northern Ireland Attorney General, Dame Brenda King, has referred the bill to the Supreme Court citing concerns that the bill omits a defense of ‘reasonable excuse’ and is therefore incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
A permanent ban on public prayer?
Liverpool and Bournemouth councils have recently launched consultations about bringing in the measure, which would prohibit pro-life volunteers from speaking – including giving offers of financial and practical help to women looking for an alternative option to abortion – on public streets in the vicinity of abortion facilities. Aberdeen council approved measures to censor public street last week.
In Richmond and in Ealing, where buffer zones have already been implemented, even silent prayer is prohibited in the 150m zone – a move likely to be copied by other Councils.
“The criminalisation of any kind of ‘influencing’ is so broad that it could reduce the threshold of criminality to an impermissibly low level. We know from a Home Office Review into the situation that instances of harassment outside of abortion facilities are rare, and when it happens, police already have powers to stop it. Buffer zones introduce a blanket ban on all activity, including offering meaningful charitable help and support to women where they need it most,” said Lois McLatchie, communications officer for ADF UK.
Since the ban was first implemented in Ealing in 2018, mothers who benefited from the offers of help made by pro-life volunteers outside abortion clinics have been campaigning under the banner “Be Here For Me” to end the censorship of such services.
“What kind of society withholds help from vulnerable women? I didn’t want an abortion but I was abandoned by my partner, my friends and society. My financial situation at the time would have made raising a child very challenging. Thanks to the help I was offered by a group outside of a clinic before my appointment, my daughter is here today. My experience is typical of hundreds of others. Refusing charitable volunteers from offering much-needed services and resources for women in my situation is wrong. Let them help,” said Alina Dulgheriu of the Be Here for Me campaign.