Footage has circulated online of a Christian pastor being arrested while street preaching at the weekend.
The footage shows Steve Maile, the senior pastor of Oasis City Church in Watford, being arrested by three officers while preaching the gospel in Watford.
During the incident Maile continually protests that no offence has been committed. One of the police officers appears to say that Maile allegedly assaulted someone, something Maile denies.
Maile was later released and posted a video on Facebook thanking supporters for their prayers.
In the video, Maile claims he was “absolutely brutalised and victimised by the British police” and that he was in “excruciating pain”.
Maile said that he had been released on bail and that the allegations against him are “totally false”. Adding a note of defiance to his post, Maile said, “You will never ever stop Steve Maile from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary said in a statement: "On Saturday 18 April, a man aged in his 60s was arrested on suspicion of assault and a Section 5 public order offence (racially or religiously aggravated disorderly behaviour).
"He has been released on bail while enquiries into the public order offence continue. No further action is being taken in relation to the assault."
Maile is not the first street preacher to have had a run-in with the police after complaints by disapproving members of the public.
Pastor Dia Moodley was arrested in Bristol last November on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred”. According to Moodley he was arrested after publicly discussing the differences between Islam and Christianity. He said he was assaulted by a group of Muslim men, who he said had injured him and threatened to stab him. Although he was arrested, none of his alleged assailants were.
Not all incidents have ended thus. In February a video emerged online of a female police officer surrounded by Muslim men complaining about an unidentified street preacher in Whitechapel. Despite the men suggesting that the preacher should not be allowed to preach in a predominantly Muslim area, the police officer said she would be taking no action against the preacher because he was exercising his freedom of speech.
