Observatory in the News: Headlines & Links
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Bust Of St. John Paul II Vandalised In Front Of Polish Church In Paris
On 19 April, in front of the Polish Church of the Assumption at 'Concorde' in Paris, the bust of St John Paul II was vandalised . An unknown perpetrator covered the bust with red paint. Father Paweł Witkowski mentioned the great merits and achievements of John Paul II, who "certainly did not deserve such treatment". The case is being investigated by the police.
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Pastor Arrested In Greater London for Public Preaching on Biblical Marriage
Pastor John Sherwood, the pastor of a church in North London, preached a sermon on a public street on 23 April, in which he advocated for the biblical image of the family consisting of a father, mother and children and that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. After a while, some police officers appeared on the scene, approached Pastor Sherwood and stated that three complaints had been received about the sermon. After a lengthy conversation between the pastor and the police officers, the police officers asked him to come down from the steps where he was standing and said that he was now under arrest. The police accusation was that Pastor Sherwood had made homophobic remarks. An officer then took the Bible from the pastor's hand, pulled him off the steps and handcuffed him behind his back. The pastor was arrested for causing alarm and distress under section 5 of the Public Order Act, according to police. The preacher was detained by the police for about 21 hours, and he is still under investigation after his release.
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School Chaplain Reported to Terrorist Watchdogs after Giving a Sermon on Christian Values Sues School
Trent Colleges' school chaplain Reverend Dr Bernard Randall held a sermon at the schools chapel in June 2018, in which he encouraged students to respect and debate upon 'identity beliefs' and 'identity ideology'. Rev Dr Randall was afterwards reported to the governments' anti-terrorist unit 'Prevent' and forced out of his job. The school claimed that the sermon was "harmful to LGBT+" Students, and Rev Dr Randalls views were extremist. The former chaplain is now taking Trent College to court for unfair dismissal, discrimination, harassment and victimization. A hearing is awaited for June 14, 2021.
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Radical Left Groups Violently Attacked Public Catholic Procession in Paris
On 30 May, a public Catholic procession in Paris, commemorating the city’s 19th-century martyrs, was violently attacked by several radical left groups. From the beginning on the procession was accompanied by interruptive whistling and booing. Soon the verbal attacks became physically violent. Flags were torn down and even heavy object thrown at them. The perpetrators also started to kick and punch participants of the procession, one elderly man was knocked to the ground suffering serious head injuries that needed to be stitched. The procession was then blocked by around 50 demonstrators and the police asked the believers to take refuge in a near by church until the situation was under control again. The police are investigating.
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Fined Overturned for Christian Volunteer Who Helped Homeless During Pandemic
56-year-old Christian volunteer Jan Niedojadlo was fined £60 by Police officers in April 2020 for preaching the gospel and helping homeless people to get food during the Covid 19 lockdown. Despite proving that he was allowed to perform the volunteer service, a police officer gave 'him a ticket' on the ground of him 'being away from home without a valid reason under Covid regulations'. Mr Niedojadlo's case came to court after a group of MPs on the Joint Committee on Human Rights called for all covid fines issued during the pandemic - a total of 85,000 - to be reviewed. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now ruled in favour of Mr Niedojadlo.
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