UK woman arrested for silently praying across from abortion clinic

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Ah yes, it was not about the activity of which she was questioned.

No. If you watch the video link posted on Fox News it wasn't.

It seems from the police officer's comments that she was known to others in the vicinity. He refers to "other days" when she had been frequenting the area.

She was asked to voluntarily accompany the police officers to the police station to answer some questions. She declined and was therefore summarily arrested; which is so I understand normal British police procedure if someone refuses to co-operate.

I would be more interested to know who was filming the incident and with what motive[s].

I would also suspect that by refusing to co-operate voluntarily she is hoping for her "day in court" thereby achieving even more publicity.

[Diogenes]

No. If you watch the video link posted on Fox News it wasn't.

It seems from the police officer's comments that she was known to others in the vicinity. He refers to "other days" when she had been frequenting the area.

She was asked to voluntarily accompany the police officers to the police station to answer some questions. She declined and was therefore summarily arrested; which is so I understand normal British police procedure if someone refuses to co-operate.

I would be more interested to know who was filming the incident and with what motive[s].

I would also suspect that by refusing to co-operate voluntarily she is hoping for her "day in court" thereby achieving even more publicity.

You mean the other days she was there when it was allegedly closed?

Source: https://adf.uk/woman-charged-for-thoughtcrime/

Vaughan-Spruce had stood near the abortion facility whilst it was closed on three occasions, in which she says she “might” have been praying.

© Copyright Original Source

Being arrested for praying is not without precedent.

https://adf.uk/public-prayer-ban/

We all understand that abortion is considered sacred by the left. She said the might had been praying and then the officer asked her to go to the station. Seems rather clear that prayer is an offence for which to be arrested.

[Cow Poke]

You mean the other days she was there when it was allegedly closed?

Source: https://adf.uk/woman-charged-for-thoughtcrime/

Vaughan-Spruce had stood near the abortion facility whilst it was closed on three occasions, in which she says she “might” have been praying.

© Copyright Original Source

Being arrested for praying is not without precedent.

https://adf.uk/public-prayer-ban/

We all understand that abortion is considered sacred by the left. She said the might had been praying and then the officer asked her to go to the station. Seems rather clear that prayer is an offence for which to be arrested.

From your link....

When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Lalor wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Lalor was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.

It's quite chilling that a police officer would take part in such.

[Diogenes]

From your link....

When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Lalor wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Lalor was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.

It's quite chilling that a police officer would take part in such.

It's called the "Chilling Effect" for a reason.

[Gondwanaland]

I love it when folks chuck these names at others....usually they haven't got a clue about any of them.

I love it when fascists try to pretend they're not fascist.

[Gondwanaland]

…. they can pray all day, gather together, march around in circles, go swimming together, almost anything.

While she was praying before she was arrested, she was not arrested for praying.

Beware of White-Christo-Nationalist propaganda.

Except she was, dirtfloor.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

You mean the other days she was there when it was allegedly closed?

That does not presuppose some staff were not there. Nor that local residents might have recognised her.

She was not arrested for praying she was arrested for not voluntarily accompanying the police officers to the police station, as the officer initially requested.

[Gondwanaland]

I think eider has made the point. It is not about praying per se, it is about where she voluntarily chose to do so. This seems quite probably to have been a publicity stunt by a Catholic member of a "pro-life" group; and apart from one or two RW tabloids most of the British press does not seem to be bothering with it.

Except it IS about praying per se. The man who was jogging by in the video was not arrested. The woman standing silently, upon answering a question by a police officer that she may be praying inside her head, WAS, after stating that. So not only is it about praying, it's about someone potentially praying inside their brain.

[rogue06]

You mean the other days she was there when it was allegedly closed?

Source: https://adf.uk/woman-charged-for-thoughtcrime/

Vaughan-Spruce had stood near the abortion facility whilst it was closed on three occasions, in which she says she “might” have been praying.

© Copyright Original Source

Being arrested for praying is not without precedent.

https://adf.uk/public-prayer-ban/

We all understand that abortion is considered sacred by the left. She said the might had been praying and then the officer asked her to go to the station. Seems rather clear that prayer is an offence for which to be arrested.

Seems that IQs are a bit higher in Liverpool

Is a silent prayer on a public street a criminal act? Not according to the case of 76-year-old grandmother Rosa Lalor, from Liverpool, who has successfully challenged a penalty given to her while out walking and silently praying near an abortion facility.

When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Lalor wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Lalor was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.

Merseyside Police have now conceded that such detention was wrong, and that Lalor was acting within her rights, indeed having a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors praying.

And an admission that her supposed offense was praying. Can't have any of that outside any designated place of worship.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Except it IS about praying per se. The man who was jogging by in the video was not arrested. The woman standing silently, upon answering a question by a police officer that she may be praying inside her head, WAS, after stating that. So not only is it about praying, it's about someone potentially praying inside their brain.

This is the argument some wish to make, namely that silent praying equals an offence.

Watching the video footage it is clear that she was asked to voluntarily accompany the police to the police station. She refused and so [as I understand English operates] she was arrested.

[Gondwanaland]

It's an expression of a political philosophy that if you go far enough to the left or right that they basically meet up in totalitarianism.

Not surprised you didn't realize that.

Yep. It ain't a political spectrum, it's a political toroid.

[Cow Poke]

That does not presuppose some staff were not there. Nor that local residents might have recognised her.

She was not arrested for praying she was arrested for not voluntarily accompanying the police officers to the police station, as the officer initially requested.

What threat to the public did she pose?

[rogue06]

From your link....

When approached by a police officer during the lockdown in February 2021, Lalor had been questioned as to why she was outdoors. She answered that she was “walking and praying”. The officer responded that Lalor wasn’t praying in a place of worship, and that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outdoors at that time. The officer claimed that Lalor was there to “protest”. The grandmother was arrested, detained, and issued a fine.

It's quite chilling that a police officer would take part in such.

Moreover, it makes clear what the offense was -- praying in public.

[Gondwanaland]

This is the argument some wish to make, namely that silent praying equals an offence.

Watching the video footage it is clear that she was asked to voluntarily accompany the police to the police station. She refused and so [as I understand English operates] she was arrested.

No, it's not an 'argument', it's the observable facts of the case. She was arrested, and charged, with 'violating' the protective order for her silent prayer. She was not charged with not voluntarily accompanying the police to the police station.

And again, as I've noted, this isn't the first time someone has been arrested in the UK for silently praying.

[Cow Poke]

This is the argument some wish to make, namely that silent praying equals an offence.

Watching the video footage it is clear that she was asked to voluntarily accompany the police to the police station. She refused and so [as I understand English operates] she was arrested.

In most civilized societies, a police officer needs to have some kind of probable cause to take somebody into custody.