A Christian street protester has been arrested after telling Muslim protesters “God bless you” at a pro-Palestine demonstration.
Shaun O’Sullivan, 36, claims that police are trying to suppress his freedom of speech after being arrested 16 times.
He is now planning to sue Wiltshire Police after being cleared of racial harassment following a six-day trial at Crown Court – with the taxpayer footing the bill, estimated to be around £20,000.
Mr O’Sullivan, a former addict without a home, preaches at Swindon’s evangelical “Awaken” Church and also on the streets.
While he has been arrested over a dozen times, not a single one of the charges have stuck.
In fact, his most recent case, in which he was accused of harassing Muslims by saying: “Pray for the Jews and pray for the Palestinians” in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict, was thrown out by the jury in less than 90 minutes.
The 36-year-old also shared an online clip in which a female police officer confirmed that saying “God bless you” could be a crime as it may “cause distress”.
“If a person is Muslim”, they may be distressed, she added.
Shaun O’Sullivan (right) was arrested after telling Muslim protesters “God bless you” at a pro-Palestine demonstration
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr O’Sullivan confirmed his plans to sue Wiltshire Police: “The police have a vendetta against me – I’ve been told as much by individual officers who have said if someone complains about me I’ll be arrested.
“I’m glad that the jury were able to see sense and almost immediately dismiss the nonsense that the police and prosecution said about me.
“I’m not racist and I have no problem with people disagreeing with my religious views, but I do have a right to state them because we have freedom of speech in this country – even if it does offend people.
“That’s why, despite Wiltshire Police arresting me 16 times, I have always been cleared.
Shaun O’Sullivan turned to street preaching after a life of drug addiction and crime
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“But now I’m going to sue them because the harassment from them has turned into a witch-hunt and it’s just too much.”
Mr O’Sullivan then showed comments about him on the local newspaper’s Facebook site, some of which had been liked by a woman he said is serving as a Police Community Support Officer and he also claimed to have had contact with her previously.
“There she is, a police employee liking comments where someone has called me ‘racist, homophobic’, a ‘very unpleasant man’ and not a Christian. How can she be allowed to do that and then claim to be neutral? It’s an absolute disgrace,” he added.
These likes have since been removed.
More to follow.