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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think this shouldn't be allowed?

179 replies

SneakyGremlins · 15/08/2018 12:44

Bloke in town with a microphone, yelling about how Jesus is the only way to heaven. Gays are sinners, other religions are sinners, we must repent blah blah blah.

Bad enough, but then he starts making eye contact with the only hijab wearing woman around and loudly proclaims that Only Christians Can Go To Heaven And All Other Religions Lead To Eternal Damnation - presumably as she's an easy target.

AIBU to think that's not right and that he shouldn't be allowed to wander around town yelling shit like that?

OP posts:
SisterNotCisTerf · 15/08/2018 13:26

My friends Mum is a JW and she tells me they aren’t allowed to shout and try to engage people, they must stand silently holding their leaflets, they aren’t even allowed to hold them out in front of people as they pass. How is it that JW have such strict rules on this street presence stuff and other religions don’t?

Tessellated · 15/08/2018 13:28

Only Christians Can Go To Heaven And All Other Religions Lead To Eternal Damnation

Don't Muslims essentially believe this too (obviously that Muslims go to heaven, not Christians)?

I'm not sure why anyone who is confident in their religious beliefs would be bothered by someone preaching in the street. And if they aren't, maybe questioning would be a good thing.

I reckon street preachers must turn more people off religion than they convert these days.

Bekabeech · 15/08/2018 13:29

Personally I might well have intervened (if I hadn't had my DC with me as they find it embarrassing). But I bet he'd have been just as offensive to any passing Nuns - most of those preachers don't believe Catholics are getting to heaven either.

Brahumbug · 15/08/2018 13:32

I am a militant atheist but yes, he has freedom of speech. I would have engaged with him on the silliness of his beliefs. Why does his god support slavery, rape, murder and human sacrifice?

Tessellated · 15/08/2018 13:33

@SisterNotCisTerf (love your username btw) lol probably because JWs have rules about absolutely everything Grin

MrsMWA · 15/08/2018 13:33

Free speech and freedom of religion, it’s what our ancestors fought and died for, more than once. It is what make us the freest country in the world.

SisterNotCisTerf · 15/08/2018 13:35

probably because JWs have rules about absolutely everything

Oh really? I don’t know much about it at all. I know about blood transfusions, verrrry long meetings twice a week, and no foreplay.

MrsBlaidd · 15/08/2018 13:38

We have a delightful character in our city that "accompanies" preachers with hateful messages.

They aren't too keen on his support though, because it largely involves turning anything nearby into a percussion instrument and making his own unique music in the process...sadly drowning out the other person's message.

Percussive protest should be encouraged Grin

SneakyGremlins · 15/08/2018 13:42

Grin at percussive protest

OP posts:
bigKiteFlying · 15/08/2018 13:43

We have to freedom of expression - due to common law and EU human rights act being adopted as UK law.

However there are limits according to wikipedia

there is a broad sweep of exceptions including threatening or abusive words or behaviour intending or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress or cause a breach of the peace (which has been used to prohibit racist speech targeted at individuals),sending another any article which is indecent or grossly offensive with an intent to cause distress or anxiety (which has been used to prohibit speech of a racist or anti-religious nature),incitement, incitement to racial hatred, incitement to religious hatred, incitement to terrorism including encouragement of terrorism and dissemination of terrorist publications, glorifying terrorism,[collection or possession of a document or record containing information likely to be of use to a terrorist,treason including advocating for the abolition of the monarchy or compassing or imagining the death of the monarch, sedition,obscenity, indecency including corruption of public morals and outraging public decency,defamation, prior restraint, restrictions on court reporting including names of victims and evidence and prejudicing or interfering with court proceedings,prohibition of post-trial interviews with jurors,time, manner, and place restrictions, harassment, privileged communications, trade secrets, classified material, copyright, patents, military conduct, and limitations on commercial speech such as advertising.

So I'd report to to local police and they may wonder past or have a word - I've seen them do that with local loud persistant one in our shopping center.

apriljune12 · 15/08/2018 13:43

No foreplay?? What you mean they just go straight to it? Confused

LighthouseSouth · 15/08/2018 13:45

yelling in town with a microphone should not be allowed full stop.

I hate his message, but the mere fact of that being allowed is annoying. it's like the government are trying to send us all mad with noise.

SisterNotCisTerf · 15/08/2018 13:47

No foreplay?? What you mean they just go straight to it?

I don’t know! Neither she nor I wanted to ask her Mum about her sex life! Grin

buttermilkwaffles · 15/08/2018 13:55

Of course there is the right to freedom of speech, as explained in this short video:

It's a fundamental part of democracy.

However as PP says there are also laws against causing alarm and distress and laws against hate speech or incitement.

Amanduh · 15/08/2018 14:02

There are muslim preachers in London almost every day who give out leaflets and shout about infidels and death... JW’s shouting on... christians talking about God’s love and hatred... one bloke screaming about Maggie Thatcher....

DownAtFraggleRock · 15/08/2018 14:22

My friends Mum is a JW and she tells me they aren’t allowed to shout and try to engage people, they must stand silently holding their leaflets, they aren’t even allowed to hold them out in front of people as they pass

This is what they do where I live - just stand there for hours and hours holding a JW sign and being ignored. I have only seen one person engage with them and he was having a go Grin

DogInATent · 15/08/2018 14:26

Of course there is the right to freedom of speech

No, the US has Freedom of Speech (First Amendment), which is pretty much anything goes no matter how hate-filled or vile.

The UK has adopted Article 10 of the EHRA which includes Freedom of Expression and has imposed a number of responsibilities, restrictions and limitations (as given above by another respondent) - basically you can express what you like as long as you're not a dick about it.

Well, we currently adopt the EHRA - it's no secret that the current Prime Minister deeply dislikes this (has done ever since her time as Home Secretary) and has an agenda to remove the EHRA from the UK statute books.

daughterofanarchy · 15/08/2018 14:33

I can’t stand street preachers af any kind. The Christian and Muslim ones on our city centre seem to be at war with each other. One lot held up a banner saying “Jesus is a slave of allah”, and it really upset a few people! Think these people shouldn’t be allowed to preach in any public places, it’s one of the main reasons I no longer shop in the city- I’m sick of being hounded by them.

Janni01 · 15/08/2018 14:35

We don't have free sppech in this country. As posters have explained we've freedom of expression.

Jupiter9 · 15/08/2018 14:38

I prefer to be alive then risk going nowhere. Lol.

DGRossetti · 15/08/2018 14:42

No, the US has Freedom of Speech (First Amendment), which is pretty much anything goes no matter how hate-filled or vile.

Not quite. SCOTUS does allow limits ... the "Fire in a crowded theater" situation.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_theater

concretesieve · 15/08/2018 14:58

I like the idea of grannies' recipes street evangelists. You could print out little booklets to give away Grin

MissConductUS · 15/08/2018 15:11

Not quite. SCOTUS does allow limits ... the "Fire in a crowded theater" situation.

One thing that's often misunderstood about this is that it only applies to government restrictions on speech. If you post outside of their acceptable use policy, Facebook is well within their rights to delete it.

DGRossetti · 15/08/2018 15:14

One thing that's often misunderstood about this is that it only applies to government restrictions on speech. If you post outside of their acceptable use policy, Facebook is well within their rights to delete it.

As long as Facebooks AUP is itself, legal ....

Seniorcitizen1 · 15/08/2018 15:15

Just back from town - heard religious preaching, rants anout animal rights, socialist worker rants, numerous charity people rattling their tins. All a muisance to me but live and let live