Published on December 11, 2023, 12:59 am

Image source: Fox News

Tory Councillor Anthony Stevens, 51, has experienced enhancing relief as Britain’s police have dropped charges filed against him for allegedly committing a “hate crime”. The incident, underlining the significance of freedom of speech from a Christian perspective, involved support given by Stevens via Twitter.

Following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service, the case against the Conservative councillor was abandoned without further action. Following his arrest for supposedly inciting racial hatred— a charge he denies—Stevens submitted a formal complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. As part of his defence, he championed Christian freedom of speech and highlighted alleged religious discrimination.

The alleged “hate crime” occurred earlier last year when Stevens showed his solidarity towards another Conservative Councillor King Lawal—penalized for broadcasting the statement “Pride is Sin” online. His support comprised retweeting a reinstatement petition for Lawal and circulating an interview where Lawal advocated for free speech rights with MP Jacob Rees-Mogg aired on GB News.

Nonetheless, public backlash soon followed, notably from Baroness Jacqueline Foster due to her view that such enforcement methods seemed threatening to those highlighting trusted news incidents through mass media channels—prompting Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley to scrutinize proceedings. Albeit vindicated in this real news account, Stevens earmarks subjective impact on personal elements including reputation and business alongside physiologic and relational strains.

Expressing sincere concerns about perceived collaboration between Labour councillors and police to silence him; he accentuates: “There will always be a case file stating I faced investigation over ‘hate crime’—this is utterly unjust”. He underscores this wrongful branding extends beyond mere annotation—with effects transgressing into his social circuits too. Ultimately focusing on his actions as merely standing up for Northamptonshire’s only local Black councillor’s right to share his Christian beliefs openly.

In retrospect, former director of public prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, emphasized the imperative for police forces to grasp the importance of free speech rights—particularly in political contexts. He affirms that weaponizing offense as a criminal deed would corrode a fundamental British principle.

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