{"id":2477905,"date":"2025-08-23T09:53:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-of-praying-christians\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T09:56:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T13:56:00","slug":"rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-of-praying-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-of-praying-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubio&#8217;s State Department Rebukes Britain&#8217;s Persecution of Praying Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frubios-state-department-rebukes-britains-persecution-of-praying-christians%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2477905&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the U.S. State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, has issued a strong condemnation of the United Kingdom&#8217;s policy establishing public &#8220;buffer zones&#8221; around abortion clinics where prayer and silent protest are banned. the statement criticizes these measures as severe violations of free speech and religious liberty, marking a departure from core U.S.-UK shared values. Several British Christians have faced arrests, charges, and penalties for praying silently or holding signs outside these <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >clinics-actions deemed harmless<\/a> by U.S. officials. Cases highlighted include 75-year-old Rose Docherty, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, and veteran Adam Smith-Connor, all targeted under these laws. U.S. vice President J.D. Vance has also publicly criticized this repression, warning of a broader European trend undermining free speech. Legal advocates like Lorcan Price from Alliance Defending Freedom International agree, urging the UK to repeal the buffer zone legislation and restore fundamental freedoms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The State Department has issued what may be its most blunt statement yet against a policy in the United Kingdom that created public buffer zones inside of which prayer is banned.<\/p>\n<p>For the past few years, several cases of British Christians praying outside or in the vicinity of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-christian-reacts-vandalism-anti-abortion-billboard-can-just-see-selfishness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abortion<\/a> clinics have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minneapolis-ex-cop-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-floyd-case\/\" title=\"Minneapolis Ex-Cop Chauvin Convicted of Murder in Floyd Case\">drawn international attention<\/a> as the nation&rsquo;s government arrests, charges, and convicts the anti-abortion advocates.<\/p>\n<p>In recent days, an unnamed spokesman for the State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, issued the strongest statement on record against these policies from the Trump administration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2025\/08\/18\/us-warns-uk-abortion-buffer-zones-put-d-values-at-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">telling<\/a> British news outlet The Telegraph that &ldquo;the UK&rsquo;s persecution of silent prayer represents not only an egregious violation of the fundamental right to free speech and religious liberty, but also a concerning departure from the d values that ought to underpin US-UK relations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The spokesman added that &ldquo;the United States is still monitoring many &lsquo;buffer zone&rsquo; cases in the UK, as well as other acts of censorship throughout Europe.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is common sense that standing silently and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uk-convicts-woman-for-offering-to-chat-near-abortion-facility\/\" title=\"... Convicts Woman For Offering To Chat Near Abortion Facility\">offering consensual conversation<\/a> does not constitute harm,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING); 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The spokesman was by no means exaggerating: As <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/us-state-department-doubles-down-on-warning-to-uk-buffer-zones-are-an-egregious-violation-of-free-speech\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a> by Alliance Defending Freedom International, a legal advocacy group which has represented many of the British Christians threatened with penalties under the new rules, several believers have been charged for such conduct.<\/p>\n<p>Rose Docherty, who is 75 years old, was arrested in Scotland earlier this year for holding a sign that said &ldquo;coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want&rdquo; outside of a hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was previously awarded &pound;13,000 in compensation for unfair arrests related to her public prayers, was placed back under investigation this year for once more praying near an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/despite-overturning-roe-abortion-numbers-explode-2024-enough-enough\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abortion<\/a> clinic in Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran, spent a few minutes bowing his head in prayer near an abortion clinic and was told to pay &pound;9,000 in costs as a result.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond media statements from spokesmen, Vice President J.D. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-uk-prime-minister-bristles-jd-vance-confronts-face-face-infringements-free-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vance<\/a> has publicly condemned such prosecutions before European leaders.<\/p>\n<p>After discussing the case of Smith-Connor, Vance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/remarks-the-vice-president-the-munich-security-conference-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> during the Munich Security Conference this year that he wishes the incident was merely a &ldquo;one-off, crazy example of a badly written law being enacted against a single person.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But he acknowledged that the targeting of Smith-Connor was part of a broader pattern.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liz-truss-warns-vance-is-right-on-european-free-speech-comments-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Liz Truss warns ... is \u2018right\u2019 on European ... comments - Washington Examiner\">safe access zones<\/a>,&rsquo; warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law,&rdquo; Vance added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thoughtcrime,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;In Britain, and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lorcan Price, a barrister in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/conor-mcgregor-confirms-run-president-days-meeting-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ireland<\/a> who serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, voiced agreement with the assessment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are cornerstones of any free society,&rdquo; the attorney said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The UK&rsquo;s treatment of individuals like Livia, Adam, Isabel and Rose for the false &lsquo;crimes&rsquo; of praying silently or offering conversation shows just how far the country has strayed from its own proud traditions of liberty,&rdquo; Price added, in reference to those who have been prosecuted for their prayers.<\/p>\n<p>Price commended the State Department for openly denouncing the policy in recent days.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The US State Department is right to call out this injustice,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;It is time for the UK government to restore fundamental freedoms, and repeal buffer zone legislation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Department has released one of its strongest criticisms to date of a UK policy that establishes public buffer zones where prayer is prohibited. Over recent years, multiple incidents involving British Christians praying near abortion clinics have gained global notice as the UK government arrests and prosecutes these anti-abortion demonstrators. Recently, an anonymous State Department spokesperson under Secretary Marco Rubio condemned these measures in an interview with The Telegraph, stating that the UK&#8217;s suppression of silent prayer is a serious violation of free speech and religious freedom and marks a troubling shift away from shared US-UK values. The spokesperson also noted ongoing monitoring of similar &#8220;buffer zone&#8221; cases in the UK and other censorship actions across Europe, emphasizing that quietly standing or engaging in consensual conversation should not be considered harmful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2477906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Michael-Featured-Image-56.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[13035,5438,32895],"class_list":["post-2477905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-britain","tag-rubio","tag-state-department"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Michael-Featured-Image-56.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2477905"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2477909,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2477905\/revisions\/2477909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2477906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2477905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2477905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2477905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}