A video has gone viral in which a Metropolitan Police officer is seen threatening to arrest a street preacher after someone accused him and other preachers of a hate crime.
The video, which was posted eight days ago and has garnered over 72,000 views on YouTube, shows officers asking for the name of a preacher because a member of the public informed police of a public order offence.
One of the Met officers can be heard telling the preacher: “Currently there’s allegations of a hate crime, a public order offence, Section 4a [and] allegations of homophobia.
“I’ve not heard anything, I’m not saying I’ve heard anything. Someone’s called us. It might be completely untrue or true.
“If I do walk away and I see offences, and the victim wants to press charges... I could have failed a potential victim.”
When asked what he was saying, the preacher said: “So we've been preaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in the book of John, chapter three, verse 16, that For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only begotten son, that whosoever, that is any person, doesn’t matter if they’re black, homosexual, drunken, liar, thief, prostitute, whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
“For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but he sent his son into the world that all can be saved. And that is the message of the gospel. That's what I've been preaching”.
During the confrontation, which was filmed outside the Pavilions shopping centre on Uxbridge High Street in west London, an officer insists that he needs the preacher’s name and address for allegations of a hate crime, specifically homophobic behaviour and racism.
The man said he doesn’t want to give his details, but before he does, he wants to understand the accusation.
Another officer said if he doesn’t provide those details, he will be arrested.
The video, posted on a YouTube account named Contagious Christian, shows ten minutes of the ordeal, but it’s unclear how long the confrontation lasted.
However, the Met Police has said there were no arrests.
A spokesman said: “Officers were responding to a report from a member of the public that a group of people were making racist and homophobic comments.
“The Met does not tolerate hate crime and officers responded to investigate this. We have watched the body-worn video of the full exchange.
“This showed officers informed the group of the allegations, explained what constitutes a hate crime, and asked them what they had been discussing. There were no arrests.”
This comes after a volunteer police officer sparked intense criticism last month after telling a Christian busker she wasn't allowed to sing Christian songs in the street.
