The Metropolitan Police has agreed to pay a Nigerian preacher, Oluwole Ilesanmi, £2,500 compensation for ‘wrongful arrest, humiliating and distressing’ treatment.
Ilesanmi, 64, was accused of Islamophobia while he was preaching outside Southgate Tube station in London in February.
The preacher was handcuffed and driven four miles away by police before his release.The UK police have, however, refused to apologise for taking him away from the tube station where he was arrested, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Ilesanmi, a former dentist, was approached by two officers after a passer-by called police accusing him of hate speech.
The preacher admits describing Islam as an ‘aberration’ but said he was expressing his point of view as a Christian rather than denigrating Muslims.
Ilesanmi’s encounter with the police was recorded in a viral video.
In the video, a policeman takes his Bible away. One of the police officers claims Ilesanmi was disturbing the peace, saying: “No one wants to hear that. They want you to go away”.
A Met spokesman said: “The Met respects and upholds the rights of all individuals to practise freedom of speech, and this includes street preachers of all religions and backgrounds.
“However, if the language someone uses is perceived as being a potential hate crime, it is only right that we investigate. In this case, it was deemed appropriate to remove the man from the area.”
The Nigerian preacher will on Tuesday hand a petition to the Home Office, signed by 38,000 people, asking for greater protection for street preachers.
