The Metropolitan Police have apologised
to evangelical street preacher Hatun Tash,
paying her £10,000
compensation
for
wrongful arrest and unlawful imprisonment.
A former Muslim, Tash had asked the police
for assistance on two occasions when she was
being harassed by Muslim demonstrators
– but
they arrested her
instead.
In one
case, she was held in custody for 24 hours
before being
released without charge. A
police inspector wrote and apologised for
the distress she suffered and acknowledged
‘that on these occasions the level of service
did fall below the requisite standard’.
Buffer zones
Right to Life
Several cross-party peers have spoken out
against Stella Creasy’s amendment to the
Public Order Bill introducing buffer zones
outside abortion clinics.
So-called ‘Clause 9’ would, in its current
form, also ban offers of help and alternatives
to abortion to pregnant women. Lord Beith
warned of damage to the ‘historic rights of free
speech’ and legitimate ‘actions of innocent
people … could be made the subject of
criminal prosecution’; while Baroness Hoey
criticised the wording of the clause, saying it
was too broad. The government has admitted
that the amendment is incompatible with
human rights law – but that does not prevent
it becoming law.
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