A UK Police Force have conceded their attempt to impose speech restrictions on a Christian preacher were “disproportionate”.

The Avon & Somerset police force had issued an order to Dia Moodley, a Bristol-based pastor, who has engaged in occasional street evangelism for the past five years. The order forbade him from “passing comments on any other religion or comparing them to Christianity” and “passing comments on beliefs held by Atheists or those who believe in evolution”.

Ironically, Moodley had initially reached out to the police after being the victim of several incidents of racial abuse. However, at a subsequent meeting, the pastor was served with the warning notice, which he refused to sign.

Commenting on the case, Bryn Harris of the Free Speech Union, said: “The state does not hold a monopoly on truth and the ability to discuss and debate ideas, including religious ideas, is the lifeblood of any genuinely free society. Yet, repeatedly, we see this principle violated by unaccountable police officers and local councils who aggressively pursue their own ideological causes rather than using scarce public resources to tackle real crime.”