US Vice President JD Vance has criticised UK authorities for prosecuting a British army veteran for his silent prayers near an abortion facility.
Adam Smith-Connor was convicted by magistrates in October but is appealing his case.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference, the Vice President said he feared that "free speech was in retreat". Reflecting on his concerns for Europe he said :
“…perhaps most concerning, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular in the crosshairs.
“A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith Connor, a 51 year old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50m from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own.”
Mr Smith-Connor said he was “ overwhelmingly thankful to Vice President Vance for raising my plight in front of world leaders. Nobody should be criminalised for their prayers, their mere thoughts – this case has exposed the UK authorities in front of the world as they allow “thought police” to prosecute peaceful, innocent people for what’s going on in their minds.
“With support from ADF International, I will be appealing my ruling in July and hope for justice to be restored. Silent prayers are not a crime – not here, not anywhere.”
Smith-Connor had been confronted by officers in Bournemouth in November 2022 and asked the nature of his prayer which was within a “buffer zone”. Buffer zones are designated areas where “influence” is banned. He was later charged, prosecuted, and convicted for his prayers at Poole Magistrates Court in October 2024.
In his speech, Vice President Vance went on to also criticise the Scottish government who he said had begun distributing letters to residents whose houses lay within buffer zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law:
“Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime in Britain and across Europe. Free speech, I fear, is in retreat.”
Rejecting the claims, a Scottish government spokesperson told Yahoo News: “The Vice President’s claim is incorrect. Private prayer at home is not prohibited within Safe Access Zones and no letter has ever suggested it was.”
The buffer zone law in Scotland makes it an offence to attempt to influence someone’s decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion within 200 metres of an abortion clinic, or harass someone while they seek to do so.