A pastor is considering legal action against the police after he was arrested over public comments he made about Islam and transgender ideology while street preaching.
Pastor Dia Moodley was arrested by Avon and Somerset Police in Bristol last November.
He was arrested on suspicion of inciting religious hatred under the Public Order Act 1986 after sharing his Christian views on Islam and transgender ideology while preaching in Bristol city centre.
He was then held in custody for eight hours and released on bail with conditions banning him from entering the city centre, meaning he could not engage in street preaching during the Christmas period.
These bail conditions were later lifted after Pastor Moodley made representations to the police, but he was questioned by two police officers at his home on 8 January and invited to a voluntary interview under caution.
Supported by the Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF), Pastor Moodley is considering whether to attend the interview and is waiting to hear whether he will be criminally charged over the incident.
Commenting on the case, ADF said his comments were both "peaceful" and "lawful".
Pastor Moodley said his arrest had been "extremely challenging personally" and that he was a victim of "two-tier policing".
“I am a law-abiding citizen and it feels surreal that the police have criminalised me so harshly and repeatedly merely for peacefully expressing my Christian views in the public square," he said.
“Unfortunately, I believe that the police view me, a Christian pastor, as an easy target and are afraid of others being offended by my lawful speech. This is two-tier policing in action.”
It is the second time Mr Moodley has been arrested by Avon and Somerset Police for his street preaching, the last time occurring in March 2025 after he preached about the differences between Christianity and Islam while holding a Quran. ADF said that at the time, he was assaulted by Muslim bystanders and that one man had threatened to stab him, yet no charges have ever been brought against them.
Legal Counsel for ADF International, Jeremiah Igunnubole, said Pastor Moodley's latest arrest "shows police are using public order legislation to impose de facto blasphemy laws in the UK".
He suggested it does not bode well for the future of free speech as the government moves forward with the introduction of an official definition of 'anti-Muslim hatred', despite strong objections from other faiths.
“The police must stop their two-tier approach of criminalising lawful speech. There has long been a pressing need for Parliament to pass legislation to ensure the right to freedom of expression is robustly protected in this country," said Mr Igunnubole.
“Pastor Dia’s case is all the more pressing as the government finalises its broad and ambiguous definition of ‘anti-Muslim hatred’, which risks censoring legitimate speech related to Islam.
“Pastor Dia’s case shows how authorities can misconstrue peaceful comments on Islam as ‘hateful’ and criminal.
"This misconstruction will be repeated unless clarity is provided to preserve the ability of citizens to peacefully comment, discuss and criticise in accordance with their core beliefs.”
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “A 58-year-old man was arrested at about 2.30pm on Saturday 22 November in Broadmead, Bristol, on suspicion of assault by beating and of a racially/religiously aggravated public order offence.
“He was later released on police bail until the end of December, with a condition not to attend areas of Bristol city centre including Broadmead. These conditions however were ultimately lifted by a supervisory officer in mid-December following representations from the arrested man.
“The man is no longer on bail following a decision in early-January to release him under investigation.
“A counter-allegation has been recorded and enquiries continue.”
