A Conservative councillor called Anthony Stevens was arrested and held in custody for nine hours by Northamptonshire police because he tweeted a link to a petition defending King Lawal, a fellow Northamptonshire councillor, who has been “cancelled” for expressing his Christian beliefs in relation to LGBT issues. The Telegraph’s Louisa Clarence-Smith has more.
Cllr Lawal, 31, who is the only black councillor in Northamptonshire, was suspended by his local Conservative group in July, after he responded to images of Pride parades organised by LGBT groups, writing: “When did pride become a thing to celebrate. Because of pride, Satan fell as an archangel. Pride is not a virtue but a sin. Those who have pride should repent of their sins and return to Jesus Christ. He can save you.”
In July, Cllr Stevens retweeted a petition calling for Cllr Lawal’s Conservative positions to be reinstated, writing: “If you value free speech please sign and share.”
He said that police officers showed him his tweets regarding Cllr Lawal and asked him why he supported the petition. Cllr Stevens said he stated that he is a “free speech absolutist” and that even if he does not agree with someone, he believes in their right to express their beliefs.
He was then asked if he agreed with Cllr Lawal’s original tweet that pride is a sin, including LGBT events, according to Cllr Stevens. He said he replied by saying that “it did not matter whether he agreed with what he said or not, he believed he had the right to say it without having his life torn apart”.
Another tweet of interest to the police, shared by Cllr Stevens on his account, involved a video of a man burning a copy of the Koran. Cllr Stevens said his post reflected his view that he agreed that choosing to burn a copy of the Koran was part of someone’s “right to free speech in a free society”.
Cllr Stevens said he understood that he had been reported to the police by a local Labour Party member.
He was told he was under arrest for a public order offence under section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986. The police said he was suspected of distributing written material to stir up racial hatred. He has been released on bail.
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