UK Pastor Exposes Shocking Details About His Dramatic Arrest: 'They'll Never Stop Me'
A crackdown on free speech and religious liberty in England has once again led to outrage.
A shocking video shows authorities hauling away a 66-year-old street preacher and grandfather in handcuffs. His alleged "crime?" He was publicly sharing the gospel and speaking out about Islam.
The video showing the dramatic arrest of Pastor Steve Maile in Watford, England, has been seen by millions.
In the video, Pastor Maile can be seen struggling as he is handcuffed. He shouts, "I am a preacher of the gospel. Watch this. Watch this. There is no offense being committed here. None whatsoever. None whatsoever. Listen. You repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you'll be saved."
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Maile faces charges of hate speech for criticizing aspects of Islam and encouraging people to follow Jesus.
Although some quickly labeled him an "Islamophobe," the street preacher isn't backing down from his message of love.
"The Bible says you must be born again. And God affords this grace through Jesus Christ for all humanity. This is what I preach," Pastor Maile explained. "This is not hate. This is love. This is compassion—because it's having compassion on the Muslims."
Maile accuses the police of mistreatment for putting him in double handcuffs so tight that he needed a doctor afterward.
After he called out to Jesus for help with the pain, Maile described how one officer responded.
"All I could think of saying was, in the name of Jesus, take these off, I'm in pain in the name of Jesus," he said. "Then the copper that threw me into the car, my head was banged against the thing, and she said this with great cynicism and delight and mocking, 'In the name of Jesus, get in the car!'"
Maile insisted the British police would never do that to a Muslim.
"They would never do that to a Muslim mullah. They would never say in the name of Mohammed, shut your mouth, and jump in the car. Never, never. Why? The name of Jesus is on trial here. Why the Bible is on trial here?"
Muslims now make up around seven percent of England's population, making them a serious voting bloc. According to Maile, police and government leaders are giving them special treatment.
"Something's going on here in the United Kingdom. That is insidious. It is dangerous. It favors a particular community. And if the Islamic community can do anything they want, watch out," Maile warned. "This is coming to America. Americans, you need to pray, and you need to get ready."
Pastor Maile spent 12 hours behind bars. Now, out on bail, he faces a court date in July. If things go badly, he could face prison. While Maile hopes that's not the case, he said it would be an honor to suffer for his faith in Christ.
"If I do go to jail, they'll be happy to get me out because I'm going to preach nonstop the message of Jesus Christ, his love, his mercy, and his reconciling power. How about that?"
Pastor Maile's arrest has people all over the world talking. It's led to tough questions about free speech, religious freedom, and what it can really cost to share your faith in the West right now.
To hear more from Pastor Steve Maile, watch Gary Lane's interview here:
About The Author
Mr. Lane served as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he provided written stories and served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs.
Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced reports from Beirut on the Lebanese civil war. He was reassigned to Washington, D.C., at the start of President Reagan’s second term and served as National Security Correspondent from the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the White House.
Gary left CBN briefly in 1988 to work as Senior Press Secretary for Pat Robertson’s presidential campaign. Afterward, he returned to Washington and served as Washington Bureau Chief for CBN News from 1989-1992.
Gary transferred to CBN headquarters in Virginia Beach in 1996, where he began more extensive international traveling and reporting as a Senior Correspondent.
In addition to his extensive reporting on Christian persecution, Gary is also known for his reporting on the civil war in Sudan. He made 20 trips to the country since 1993 and also testified before Congress about the plight of Burmese refugees.
Gary produced numerous documentaries, including Americans Abandoned for the American Defense Institute, which afforded him the opportunity to become the first American journalist granted access to the Vietnamese Defense and Cultural Film archives. The investigative film about American POWs featured Vietnam War footage never seen before by Americans.
Gary also produced several persecution documentaries, including one about Christians in Egypt for Freedom House—Their Blood Cries Out—and another about attacks in Indonesia for The Voice of the Martyrs—Island Jihad. He also worked as a production consultant and videographer for the VOM video specials Underground Reality Vietnam and Underground Reality Colombia.
Over the years, Gary covered wars in Lebanon, Israel, Nicaragua, Angola, Burma, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia, Libya, and Syria. He won several awards, including one from the National Gulf War Resource Center for his groundbreaking investigative reporting of Gulf War Illness, an affliction affecting veterans of Operation Desert Storm. The Australian Evangelical Press Association gave him an award for his reporting of a church massacre that occurred in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, shortly after 9-11.
Gary left CBN in 2000 to join the Voice of The Martyrs as their News Director, where he directed the mission’s multimedia efforts. Those included the website, monthly newsletter, video productions, publications, press releases, and media interviews.
Gary rejoined CBN in late 2003 as International News Director/Senior Correspondent. He served as executive producer of three weekly international news programs: Christian World News (CWN); Mundo Cristiano, a Spanish version of CWN produced in Costa Rica; and an Arabic language version of CWN, CWN Arabic, which was broadcast throughout North Africa and the Middle East. He also hosted and produced the weekly CBN News Channel program, The Global Lane.
Prior to CBN, Gary worked for various local television stations in Michigan, including one owned by Time Inc. and another by Knight-Ridder. Before that, he worked at local radio stations in Flint and Detroit.
Gary is a 1979 honors graduate of The University of Michigan, Flint, where he served as political editor of The University News, studied pre-law, and received an A.B. in political science and history.
