New video footage shows a police officer demanding a Catholic woman walk away from an abortion clinic simply because of what she is known to believe.
The officer of West Midlands Police is seen demanding that charitable volunteer Isabel Vaughan-Spruce leaves a public area where she was standing alone and praying silently.
In the footage, obtained by ADF UK, a Christian legal organisation, the police officer explained that he believes Miss Vaughan-Spruce’s “mere presence” may constitute “harassment, alarm and distress”.
He said he drew his conclusions because it was known that Miss Vaughan-Spruce held pro-life beliefs and belonged to a pro-life organisation.
He thus concluded that she was breaching the rules of the “buffer zone” – an area within 150m of an abortion facility.
The buffer zone legislation does not single out individuals to ban from the area for their beliefs, but rather prohibits behaviours amounting to “intimidation”, “harassment”, or “influencing a person’s decision to access” an abortion facility.
Miss Vaughan-Spruce said: “It has been made clear time and time again through the verdict of Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, through the concession and pay-out from the police, through the words of the former Home Secretary and through CPS Guidance – you cannot break the law by simply existing in a buffer zone, holding thoughts and beliefs in your mind.
“Every person has a right to stand in a public space and think what they want. The police officer told me that my “mere presence” was offensive – that’s nothing short of viewpoint discrimination.
“He believes that just because I hold pro-life beliefs, I am automatically a criminal in certain public areas. This isn’t right.”
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