Has Britain become an unsafe place for Christian preachers?

In the Middle East, Pakistan, India, North Korea and parts of China – hatred and persecution of Christians is well documented. But who would have thought preaching the gospel would become a risky business on the streets of Britain? Last month saw the wheelchair bound preacher Claudio Boggi being threatened and spat at by a man called Ali Al-Hindawi, who shouted ‘Allah is God’. Al-Hindawi went on to attack another Christian volunteer in Westminster, biting his fingers and assaulting him with a metal bar – he’s thankfully now in jail. Next came the news that an innocent street preacher, Oluwole Ilesanmi, had been arrested for ‘breach of the peace’ outside Southgate tube station, after being reported for ‘Islamophobia’. But are such incidents a sign of a broader antipathy towards Christians or simply isolated incidents?

At the beginning of the year, the Royal Holloway University of London published a survey on ‘The Safety and Security of Anglican Clergy’.