Catholic activist lashes out at government dismissal of ‘two-tier’ policing as far-right conspiracy

A Catholic woman arrested twice for silent prayer outside an abortion clinic has severely criticised the contents of a leaked Home Office dossier which claims that accusations of “two-tier” policing are nothing but a “right wing extremist narrative”.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce said that the claims in the counter-extremism dossier, which was leaked to the Daily Telegraph, “runs contrary to the lived experience of countless British people” who are harassed by ideologically indoctrinated police officers.

She asked why she was prosecuted for praying silently in her head when the child rapists of British Pakistani grooming gangs were treated leniently.

The Home Officer dossier dismissed the industrial-scale rape and abuse of thousands of poor white English girls by mostly Pakistani Muslim men as an “alleged” problem “frequently exploit[ed]” by the far-right.

Ms Vaughan-Spruce said: “I have been arrested multiple times, faced an intrusive police investigation, and dragged into court – simply for standing silently on a public street nearby an abortion clinic, praying, imperceptibly, in the privacy of my mind. 

“Meanwhile, how many true criminals roam the streets, unchecked? How many of the perpetrators of the grooming gangs were left unaccountable for their violent and despicable actions towards children?

“The priorities of the Home Office seem to have been turned on their head. They must acknowledge their misstep here before entirely losing the confidence of the public.”

She added: “The Home Office must direct resources to where they’re needed most.”

On 6th March, a Dorset retiree will become the fourth individual to face trial under “buffer zones” regulations, for holding a sign near an abortion facility reading “here to talk, if you want.” 

Vaughan-Spruce was sent for trial at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court after she was arrested for praying silently but the case was thrown out. 

She was arrested again and subjected to a lengthy investigation for which the police eventually apologised and paid compensation.

Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, who supported the Ms Vaughan-Spruce and others prosecuted for their thoughts and peaceful speech, said: “Over the last three years, we’ve supported several individuals in court who have been prosecuted simply for praying, or offering help, near abortion facilities.

“In the wider public square, we’ve also given our support to innocent people like Dia Moodley, a preacher from Bristol, who was arrested and put in cells simply for comparing Islam to Christianity in response to a question.

“While the Home Office has committed significant time and resources to cracking down on the expression – or even contemplation of – Christian beliefs, the crime rate statistics prove that they have not directed police resources to where it’s needed most.”

The Home Officer dossier also called on the police to record more non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) in spite of widespread criticism over the raid on the home of the distinguished Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson.

On Monday night, ministers backed the increased use of NCHIs for incidents of so-called Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, but they rejected proposals in the review for a wider definition of extremism. 

Instead, they said police and other authorities should continue to focus on Islamism and right-wing extremism.

In June 2023, Suella Braverman, then Conservative home secretary at the time, ordered police to stop recording NCHIs, acts which do not meet the criminal threshold for prosecution but are logged by police because someone says they were offended. 

An NCHI may show up an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, harming employment prospects, and a judicial review is required to eliminate an NCHI from records held by police. 

The new report says the Home Office should “reverse the previous government’s code of practice”.

More than 13,000 incidents were logged by police in the past year alone, including against schoolchildren.

The Home Office report recommends that the police record more NCHI based on race, disability, sexual orientation or gender reassignment. 

It said claims about two-tier policing was part of a “right-wing extremist narrative” which is “leaking into mainstream debates”.

The report says: “Right-wing extremists frequently exploit cases of alleged group-based sexual abuse to promote anti-Muslim sentiment as well as anti-government and anti-‘political correctness’ narratives.”

(ADF International)

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