UK arrests street preacher after criticizing Islam

In the British city of Watford, police detained 66-year-old Protestant pastor Steve Mile during a street sermon accompanied by criticism of Islam. The incident occurred on April 25, 2026 and caused a wide public outcry, calling into question the observance of the principles of freedom of speech in the country. This is reported by Britannia Daily.

The incident was recorded in the city center, where Maile sang Christian hymns and urged Muslims to convert to Christianity. Officers of the police of the county of Hertfordshire promptly arrived at the scene and detained the pastor, putting him in handcuffs. The man was initially suspected of assault and disorderly conduct motivated by religious hatred. Although the charge of assaulting a teenager was later dropped, police are still investigating under a disorderly conduct count.

Steve Maile himself claims that he committed no offense, but only preached the gospel. According to the pastor, he spent about an hour and a half in handcuffs in severe pain and subsequently required medical attention. In total, the preacher was held in custody for 12 hours. Eyewitnesses to the events were divided: while some witnesses claim that there was no act of assault, other passers-by supported the police action and booed the detainee.

The interests of the pastor are represented by the Christian Legal Center, whose representatives said that the prejudice to Christian preaching. At the moment Mile has been released on bail. The Hertfordshire police emphasized that investigative actions continue, as the testimonies of witnesses of the incident significantly diverge.