Here’s a letter that I recently sent to Evangelicals Now, I don’t know if it will get published but you can read it here.
Dear Editor,
In his recent article, David Robertson claims that the Scottish Government has lied about private prayer in homes within exclusion zones.
He then provides a link to a “fact check” article in another Christian paper. The author is … David Robertson himself. However, even his own comment does not prove that the Scottish Government are lying, in fact the opposite. He says:
“A letter was sent to residents within an Edinburgh exclusion area warning them that while the offences in general only applied in public places, “however activities in a private place (such as a house) within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of a zone could be an offence if they can be seen or heard within the zone and are done intentionally or recklessly.” The letter warned that regulation breakers could be fined up to £10,000. Religious preaching, prayer or silent vigils could be subject to prosecution if they are done with “intent or recklessness”.”
It seems clear from this that the warning is that if you use a private premises as a base for a public protest, that you cannot then claim that it is simply private/personal prayer.This is surely a reasonable point. We do well to be open and up front about our own actions and their own implications.
From a free speech perspective, I believe that the exclusion zones are wrong. However, we need to be clear that it is free speech and the right to protest that is at stake, not private prayer and people being allowed to go about their own business.
Yours Faithfully
Dave Williams
Faithroots 