https://adf.uk/woman-charged-for-thoughtcrime/

Charity volunteer arrested, charged for silent prayer “thoughtcrime” near abortion facility

Birmingham charity volunteer arrested and searched – including through her hair – after silently praying in a censorship zone

Arrest and charges take place as authorities consider criminalising prayer near abortion facilities nationwide

BIRMINGHAM (20 December 2022) – A charity volunteer has been arrested and charged on four counts after she told the police she “might” be praying silently, when questioned as to why she was standing on a public street near an abortion facility.

Police approached Isabel Vaughan-Spruce standing near the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham. Vaughan-Spruce was carrying no sign and remained completely silent until approached by officers. Police had received complaints from an onlooker who suspected that Vaughan-Spruce was praying silently in her mind.

“It’s abhorrently wrong that I was searched, arrested, interrogated by police and charged simply for praying in the privacy of my own mind. Censorship zones purport to ban harassment, which is already illegal. Nobody should ever be subject to harassment. But what I did was the furthest thing from harmful – I was exercising my freedom of thought, my freedom of religion, inside the privacy of my own mind. Nobody should be criminalised for thinking and for praying, in a public space in the UK,” said Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, following her arrest for silent prayer.

The censorship zone measure introduced by Birmingham authorities criminalises individuals percieved to be “engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval” in relation to abortion, including through “verbal or written means, prayer or counselling…”.

A “thoughtcrime” in UK law?

Vaughan-Spruce had stood near the abortion facility whilst it was closed on three occasions, in which she says she “might” have been praying.

When shown pictures of herself outside the abortion facility by police, Vaughan-Spruce was questioned as to whether she was praying in the photos. She said she could not answer – some of the time she had spent praying, other times she had been distracted and thought about other things, such as her lunch. She maintains that both of these thoughts were equally peaceful and imperceptible and that neither should be criminalised.

“Isabel’s experience should be deeply concerning to all those who believe that our hard-fought fundamental rights are worth protecting. It is truly astonishing that the law has granted local authorities such wide and unaccountable discretion, that now even thoughts deemed “wrong” can lead to a humiliating arrest and a criminal charge,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, the legal organisation supporting Vaughan-Spruce.

“A mature democracy should be able to differentiate between criminal conduct and the peaceful exercise of constitutionally protected rights. Isabel, a woman of good character, and who has tirelessly served her community by providing charitable assistance to vulnerable women and children, has been treated no better than a violent criminal. The recent increase in buffer zone legislation and orders is a watershed moment in our country. We must ask ourselves whether we are a genuinely democratic country committed to protecting the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of speech. We are at serious risk of mindlessly sleepwalking into a society that accepts, normalises, and even promotes the “tyranny of the majority,” he continued.

As part of her conditions for bail, Vaughan-Spruce was told that she should not contact a local Catholic priest who was also involved in pro-life work – a condition that was later dropped.

Police also imposed restrictions, as part of her bail, on Vaughan-Spruce engaging in public prayer beyond the PSPO area, stating that this was necessary to prevent further offences.

p1

>>17988320

BIRMINGHAM (20 December 2022) – A charity volunteer has been arrested and charged on four counts after she told the police she “might” be praying silently, when questioned as to why she was standing on a public street near an abortion facility.

Police approached Isabel Vaughan-Spruce standing near the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham. Vaughan-Spruce was carrying no sign and remained completely silent until approached by officers. Police had received complaints from an onlooker who suspected that Vaughan-Spruce was praying silently in her mind.

“It’s abhorrently wrong that I was searched, arrested, interrogated by police and charged simply for praying in the privacy of my own mind. Censorship zones purport to ban harassment, which is already illegal. Nobody should ever be subject to harassment. But what I did was the furthest thing from harmful – I was exercising my freedom of thought, my freedom of religion, inside the privacy of my own mind. Nobody should be criminalised for thinking and for praying, in a public space in the UK,” said Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, following her arrest for silent prayer.

The censorship zone measure introduced by Birmingham authorities criminalises individuals percieved to be “engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval” in relation to abortion, including through “verbal or written means, prayer or counselling…”.

A “thoughtcrime” in UK law?

Vaughan-Spruce had stood near the abortion facility whilst it was closed on three occasions, in which she says she “might” have been praying.

When shown pictures of herself outside the abortion facility by police, Vaughan-Spruce was questioned as to whether she was praying in the photos. She said she could not answer – some of the time she had spent praying, other times she had been distracted and thought about other things, such as her lunch. She maintains that both of these thoughts were equally peaceful and imperceptible and that neither should be criminalised.

“Isabel’s experience should be deeply concerning to all those who believe that our hard-fought fundamental rights are worth protecting. It is truly astonishing that the law has granted local authorities such wide and unaccountable discretion, that now even thoughts deemed “wrong” can lead to a humiliating arrest and a criminal charge,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, the legal organisation supporting Vaughan-Spruce.

“A mature democracy should be able to differentiate between criminal conduct and the peaceful exercise of constitutionally protected rights. Isabel, a woman of good character, and who has tirelessly served her community by providing charitable assistance to vulnerable women and children, has been treated no better than a violent criminal. The recent increase in buffer zone legislation and orders is a watershed moment in our country. We must ask ourselves whether we are a genuinely democratic country committed to protecting the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of speech. We are at serious risk of mindlessly sleepwalking into a society that accepts, normalises, and even promotes the “tyranny of the majority,” he continued.

As part of her conditions for bail, Vaughan-Spruce was told that she should not contact a local Catholic priest who was also involved in pro-life work – a condition that was later dropped.

Police also imposed restrictions, as part of her bail, on Vaughan-Spruce engaging in public prayer beyond the PSPO area, stating that this was necessary to prevent further offences.

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http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/70146

Video address on Security Agency Worker’s Day (Putin)

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers, veterans,

I would like to heartily congratulate you on Security Agency Worker’s Day.

This professional holiday unites people who have chosen hard and demanding service. Those who, sparing no effort and sometimes their life, safeguard our state, society and citizens from external and domestic threats, protect the foundations of the constitutional order and the territorial integrity of our country, and relentlessly combat terrorism, crime and corruption. Throughout the entire history of our Fatherland, security agencies have been a reliable pillar of the state. We are rightfully proud of the deeds of their legendary officers who selflessly served the Motherland and resolutely resisted those who wanted to make our country dependent, weak and divided.

On this day, I want to warmly thank the security services veterans. Your professionalism, resilience and dedication will always set an example for those who are now safeguarding the security and national interests of Russia.

In the past years, our security services have worked very efficiently. I want to thank the employees of the Federal Security Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Federal Guard Service, and the Chief Directorate for Special Programmes for their competence and courage, for being able to promptly deal with the most complex tasks without relying on immediate circumstances.

Today’s rapidly changing global situation and the emergence of new threats and challenges impose high demands on the entire system of Russia’s security agencies. This means that you need to significantly improve your work in key areas, and use your operational, technical and personnel potential to the fullest.

I would like to call attention to the security agency units that have begun their work in Russia’s new regions. Yes, you are faced with difficult tasks now: the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions is extremely complicated.

But the people who live there, Russian citizens are counting on you and your protection. And your duty is to do everything in your power to ensure their safety and respect for their rights and freedoms. On our part, we will continue to supply the new units with modern equipment and weapons, as well as experienced personnel.

Fighting terrorism remains one of the key priorities for all security services, first of all, the Federal Security Service. You have vast experience in countering terrorism; therefore, it is necessary to continue the efforts to prevent terrorist attacks in a system-wide and consistent way.

Crowded places, strategic facilities, as well as transport and energy infrastructure must be under special control. This task falls on the Federal Security Service under the coordination of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee in close interaction with other security agencies.

The counterintelligence agencies, including the military ones, need to show utmost readiness and concentration.It is necessary to put a firm stop to the activities of foreign special services, and to promptly identify traitors, spies and diversionists.

The FSB Border Guard Service must step up its work. The state border is the most important, key boundary for ensuring the country’s security, and it must be guarded safely. Attempts to break it must be prevented promptly and efficiently using the existing capacities and tools, including mobile and special task units.

You must stay focused in such an important area as countering extremism. Belligerent nationalism calls for violence and provocations aimed at stirring up ethnic hatred are a direct threat to our society’s internal unity. Special services must respond to such attempts promptly.

It is necessary to act more decisively in such important areas as the protection of information resources, combatting economic crimes and corruption.

Comrade officers,

State security, the stability of society, and the reliable provision of the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens are the most important results of your work. I am sure that you know it well and will continue to perform your tasks efficiently, and honestly and properly serve the Motherland and our people.

I again congratulate all of you on the holiday and, of course, the upcoming New Year 2023. I wish you and your families good health and success in the new year.

>>17988376

>ELON MUSK

Ukraine is not our ally – Croatian president Zoran Milanovic has vetoed an initiative to train Kiev’s troops, advising his PM to “go to Ukraine and fight” himself

https://www.rt.com/news/568616-croatia-ukraine-not-ally/

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said on Tuesday that Ukraine “is not an ally” of his country and warned against bringing “war” to the Balkans.

“Ukraine is not an ally. It’s being forcibly made into one. It was cynically granted the status of an EU candidate. That’s what the EU is today: squalor, zero.”

Talking to reporters, he also hit out against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for his proposal to have Ukrainian troops trained in Croatia. Milanovic said such a move would “bring war” to the country.

“You keep pushing moral blackmail,” he addressed Plenkovic, “but you have no morals yourself. Go to Ukraine and fight.”

Speaking of the Croatian military’s preparedness to fight, Milanovic noted it had a shortage of anti-tank rockets, for example. “We have Americans, who will defend us the way they defend the Ukrainians. Great!” he said sarcastically.

The president’s comments come after Croatian lawmakers failed to adopt a motion for the country to join an EU program intended to train some 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel to fight against Russia. Last week, only 97 Croatian MPs out of 151 voted for the proposal, just short of the two-thirds of lawmakers it needed to pass.

Ahead of the vote, Milanovic, who is the commander-in-chief of the Croatian armed forces, warned that joining the program could make Zagreb a target for Russia. Plenkovic, whose cabinet backed the mission, in turn accused the president of harboring “pro-Russian views.”

>>17988392

the more the magnetosphere changes, the more insane people will become. animals, plants, and weather as well.

Riders on the storm. The Geomagnetic Storm.