Outrage as police question priest after religious hate crime accusations

Police have interviewed a church priest on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, after he offered insight into the Muslim veil controversy in his parish newsletter.

A sergeant and community support officer came to interview Father John Hayes, 71, without warning, after receiving a complaint about the priest's comments on the case of a Muslim girl who went to court over her wish to wear a full veil in class.

The decision to interview the clergyman has been widely criticised and has cemented the concerns of various faith groups that Government legislation to prevent 'Hate Crime' was too widely drafted and could be used to stop religious leaders preaching on topics the laws were not created for.

The priest was interviewed in St Mary's Church, Hornchurch, East London about remarks about Muslim follower Shabina Begum, who, when previously represented by Cherie Blair QC, claimed unsuccessfully that it was her human right to be able to wear her jilbab gown in the classroom.

The latest development has sparked a row over the police forces priorities, with various media pointing out that in the last year the area had seen 5 murders, 33 rapes, 424 robberies and 2,267 burglaries. In addition, a number of accusations have been made that the police had not reacted to a number of complaints made against some "Muslim preachers of hate", but yet still prioritised questioning Hayes.

Hayes had said in his internet bulletin, after hearing an interview with Shabina Begum, that it was never possible to convince anyone by argument in matters of religion.

Hayes said, "My point was that you have to demonstrate what it means to be Christian through your actions. Apparently someone in my congregation was unhappy with my comments and, after waiting a year, went to the police to say he had been 'disturbed' by it."

The priest described how he was interviewed: "They said they had come to see if I had intended to incite racial hatred. I was pretty surprised. It seemed to me that political correctness had gone haywire in this situation.

"They were very polite and cordial, but I did say to them that surely they had better things to be doing with their time. We had a long, civilised discussion and I didn't give an inch.

"They seemed satisfied and when they eventually left the sergeant told me 'that's the end of the matter'. I felt the whole thing was a bit of a storm in a teacup."

Speaking on Islam, Hayes said, "I have the greatest respect for Islam. There are so many more similarities than differences in our religions that I feel it is a great pity we concentrate on the few things that divide us."

According to The Daily Mail, some Met police officers have also been left infuriated by the decision to interview the priest. A source at the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: "What happened is a gross error of judgment and possibly even an abuse of power. The senior officer who decided on this course of action should be called to account.

"It is yet another example of the political correctness which is blighting the Met."