Christian street preacher arrested for second time in a week
Published: September 25th, 2013
Rev Josh Williamson, who was arrested last Wednesday, was arrested again on Saturday (21 SEP) in Perth for "breach of the peace".
Custody
He was to be held in custody until Monday (23 SEP) but thankfully he was released at 9.30pm on Saturday evening after being held for over five hours in the cells.
Josh recorded the incident on camera and also made an audio recording on his phone of the trip to the police station in the police car.
You can watch a video recording of his arrest (with subtitles) here > (Police begin talking to Josh at 6mins 52secs in.)
The recording includes footage of Josh's conversation with police on the street, his arrest and audio of the conversation in the police car on the way to the station.
His MP3 player has been kept as crown evidence and the Procurator fiscal (a public prosecutor) will review the evidence.
Support
Christian Legal Centre was able to respond quickly and deal with the situation. We are continuing to give Josh legal support throughout the process.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Legal Centre, said:
"The arrest of street preachers is happening with alarming regularity. There is no law against what Rev Williamson was doing and he has now been wrongly arrested twice.
"It's time for the police to sort this out. Officers are routinely misapplying the law and needlessly arresting people who are sharing a message of good news.
"Freedom of speech is a fundamental freedom that is crucial to a thriving democracy. This arrest, along with other recent arrests, shows that this freedom is being eroded more quickly than many people realise.
"It is also deeply ironic that Rev Williamson was arrested for 'breach of the peace' whilst speaking the ultimate message of peace."
We can only be there for preachers like Josh with your support. If you’d like to make a donation towards our work, please go to: www.christianconcern/donate
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