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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Street preachers/ religion representatives - should they be allowed?

45 replies

Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 16:33

Today I have visited Manchester and it’s really struck me how many different street preachers were on microphones in the street. I also had about 10 people trying to hand me cards for various religious organisations.

It was rather overwhelming! On one street there was at least 7 people yelling on microphones about their various religions.

I consider myself a Christian but AIBU that there should be some control over them.

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 23/08/2025 21:08

There are JWs that have a stand in my town centre. They don't preach and they don't approach people. I can't get worked up by someone offering me a leaflet though. Say no, or take it and bin it.
However, we have had street preachers here that have loudly condemned gay people and women who have had abortions. We also have some extreme right wing twunt who gets banned from the centre everyso often for preaching hate about all sorts of stuff.

Sailing8 · 23/08/2025 21:09

Ban the loudspeakers; other than that, anything (barring hate speech and highly offensive/upsetting images) should of course be allowed in a free country.

Allthesnowallthetime · 23/08/2025 21:11

Freedom of speech, always.

PPs make a good point about banning amplification, though.

SpanThatWorld · 23/08/2025 21:15

We used to have a couple of Exclusive Brethren congregations locally.
Every Saturday all the males of about 10 and up would gather outside the bank and preach, taking it in turns so that noone developed a sore throat.

Meh.

Sturtium · 23/08/2025 21:26

Why, exactly, isn’t the use of megaphones and microphones banned? It’s noise pollution and a public nuisance. Shouldn’t it incur an instant large fine?!

TaupeLemur · 23/08/2025 22:03

There’s nothing less likely to convert most people than a religious fanatic yelling in the street… lights are on but nobody’s home for the most part

PassingStranger · 23/08/2025 22:08

The religious nuts that stand shouting out about their unproven and ancient hearsay should be carted off.

XenoBitch · 23/08/2025 22:09

PassingStranger · 23/08/2025 22:08

The religious nuts that stand shouting out about their unproven and ancient hearsay should be carted off.

To be fair, religion has a free pass on this. If I was shouting in the street about aliens coming to take us away, I would be carted off to a Place of Safety.

ExtraOnions · 23/08/2025 22:09

It’s Pride in Manchester this weekend … place is packed, suprised they found space, and I bet they had an interesting audience

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 23/08/2025 22:16

Digidestined · 23/08/2025 16:56

I think it should be banned.

I'm sick of the guy in Birmingham who shouts about Jesus and the end coming. He's quite intimate and has told me I'm going to hell for being an atheist before now.

It's basically heckling. How it isn't classed as harassment is beyond me.

Edited

In Solihull the other day this guy was telling us we were going to hell for looking at TikTok and instagram!

XenoBitch · 23/08/2025 22:18

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 23/08/2025 22:16

In Solihull the other day this guy was telling us we were going to hell for looking at TikTok and instagram!

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I don't think he is too off the mark there 😆

Original poster
Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 23:02

Darragon · 23/08/2025 17:55

I think people should be able to say what they want in public but microphones or megaphones should be banned. I'd also prefer that loud shouty people had to go to a designated speaker's corner. I think the microphones/loudspeakers/whatever should come under the same rules as busking, for which you usually need permission or a licence from the council.
It seems unfair that people adding to society by making music are held to higher standards than people detracting from society by wittering on about the wrath of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

I was in Manchester yesterday, walked all over the place, and only saw one guy talking through a microphone, but I couldn't make out what he was on about tbh so he might have been trying to raise awareness of his favourite ABBA member for all I know. The rest might only be weekend preachers or something. It's weird to imagine obsessive pushy evangelists of any sort managing to hold down jobs, now I think about it. Can you imagine? Manager: "Colin, have you got that health and safety report?" Colin: "Before I answer that, let me share with you the word of the Goddess of Macaroni..."

I stayed overnight and Friday didn’t seem so bad, I only spotted the one by arndale. Today was on another level! I counted 7 all yelling. I even had a dianetics leaflet in my face! Didn’t even know that was a thing in this country.

OP posts:
Original poster
Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 23:03

EmpressaurusKitty · 23/08/2025 18:01

How about people who get their primary school age children to hand out the leaflets because they think people will be more likely to take them?

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There was one lady with three kids and she had them handing out leaflets! I felt so sorry for them!

OP posts:
Original poster
Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 23:04

CommissarySushi · 23/08/2025 18:03

God, I fucking hate them. Has anyone actually been converted by a guy, on the street, yelling through a megaphone at them?

Edited

That’s what I want to know! What are they hoping to achieve

OP posts:
Original poster
Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 23:07

I definitely think it’s important to have free speech but the amplification should be banned!!!

OP posts:
Soukmyfalafel · 23/08/2025 23:12

We have some preachers singing gospel style hymns and sometimes Hare Krishnas dancing abd chanting where I am and I quite enjoy it because it is joyful. That is actually quite tempting.

It's the angry ones that I'm not keen on. If you are going to preach, at least show the best side of your religion.

LemonTwix · 24/08/2025 09:07

There used to be a Scouse guy with a megaphone outside my office shouting into a megaphone ‘are you a sinner or a winner!?’. It made me feel absolutely murderous, it’s just noise pollution. The ones at Oxford Circus tube now are even worse, the shouting through amplifiers is deafening, I’m sure a lot of them get an ego trip out of it.

Bring back ye olden days of the 1980s with the guy with the ‘less passion from less protein’ sign quietly patrolling up and down Oxford Street.

VoodooQualities · 24/08/2025 09:11

Ban the use of megaphones/ loudspeakers etc.

But the street preaching itself is fine by me, even if it's all hell and damnation and what have you. I think they're crazy but I'm fine with a bit of crazy now and then, it adds colour!

PollyBell · 24/08/2025 09:13

Shmoigel · 23/08/2025 23:04

That’s what I want to know! What are they hoping to achieve

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Money, some religions need people to donate % of their income to the 'cause'

I dont mind them being there for the public to go up to them if they chose but like charity chuggers leave it up to the public to approach them, i dont think they should be able to approach their victims, I mean passer-by's

MissMarplesNiece · 26/08/2025 11:10

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 23/08/2025 22:16

In Solihull the other day this guy was telling us we were going to hell for looking at TikTok and instagram!

Show quote history

Please don't tell me that now Birmingham has banned amplification in the city centre, these nuisances have moved to Solihull.

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