{"id":2646964,"date":"2026-08-19T12:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignu-k-bans-bishop-lawmaker-convicted-of-hate-speech-for-agreeing-with-the-bible\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:57:18","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignu-k-bans-bishop-lawmaker-convicted-of-hate-speech-for-agreeing-with-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignu-k-bans-bishop-lawmaker-convicted-of-hate-speech-for-agreeing-with-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"Open-Borders U.K. Bans Christians For Agreeing With The Bible"},"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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignu-k-bans-bishop-lawmaker-convicted-of-hate-speech-for-agreeing-with-the-bible%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=2646964&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 article discusses the recent UK travel ban on Finnish politician Paivi Rasanen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, both convicted in Finland of hate speech for publishing a booklet referencing biblical teachings on male and female differences. Despite prior approval for Rasanen\u2019s UK travel, the authorization was revoked following her conviction, which she and international observers consider a case of unjust censorship. Rasanen, a democratically elected official, has been under prolonged legal persecution for openly expressing Christian views, and her attempt to participate in a UK event was hindered. The broader context highlights increased suppression of free speech and religious expression across Europe, with European nations implementing restrictive laws influenced by post-Soviet and muslim-majority regimes. The article emphasizes the ongoing conflict between conventional religious views on sexuality and modern legal and societal pressures, noting that such restrictions are especially prevalent in Muslim-majority countries and regimes influenced by communism.The piece underscores concerns over declining religious freedoms and the spread of censorship under Western and international law.  <\/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<div>\n<p>A U.K. travel ban on two European Christians persecuted for their faith is preventing one, a prominent Finnish politician, from speaking to a U.K. legislative body this week. The revocation appears to be based on a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/finlands-supreme-court-convicts-christians-of-hate-speech-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrongful conviction<\/a> of Finnish Member of Parliament Paivi Rasanen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola for publishing a booklet discussing the Bible\u2019s theology of male and female differences, says free speech law firm Alliance Defending Freedom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.K. authorities initially granted the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to Paivi Rasanen and then approximately one week later they withdrew the ETA,\u201d ADF Senior Legal Counsel Lorcan Price told The Federalist via text Tuesday evening. \u201cThis is undoubtedly connected to her conviction for hate speech in a split decision before the Finnish Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the latest in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/22\/european-epicenter-deploys-riot-police-to-stop-conservatives-from-talking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long escalation<\/a> of European repression of free speech and peaceful religious expression not just in Europe but across the globe, despite massive subsidies U.S. taxpayers pay European governments as ostensible allies. The United Kingdom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.standingforfreedom.com\/2026\/07\/16\/uk-blocks-paivi-rasanen-hate-speech-conviction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has in recent years<\/a> jailed citizens for praying silently on public property, flying the British flag, and civilly objecting to importing migrants who don\u2019t assimilate. Meanwhile, it has refused for decades to track down and punish majority-Pakistani mass rape gangs who <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/17\/trump-should-cut-ties-with-starmer-government-over-uk-rape-gang-scandal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">often target<\/a> white, Christian children.<\/p>\n<p>Europe has become the epicenter of Western restrictions on Christianity and basic human rights developed and established for centuries by Christian belief across the West. European restrictions on global communications monopolies such as Apple, Google, and Meta form the Western Great Firewall of mass internet censorship that privileges leftist ideology while hiding factually accurate competing ideas, including across the entire United States, <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/x-challenges-e120m-fine-under-eu-censorship-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according <\/a>to numerous <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/2026-02\/THE-FOREIGN-CENSORSHIP-THREAT-PART-II-2-3-26.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>. The Biden administration worked with the EU to enhance internet censorship in the United States, and it continues from abroad despite the Trump administration\u2019s reversal of stateside censorship policies.<\/p>\n<p>In a case that has received international attention and cries of concern from human rights advocates and the U.S. State Department, Rasanen was convicted in March of \u201chate speech\u201d for writing a booklet titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/media.lhfmissions.org\/file\/lhf-missions\/pdfs\/English-Male-and-Female-He-Created-Them.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Male and Female He Created Them<\/a>,\u201d a quote from the Bible. Pohjola was convicted for publishing the simple theological pamphlet. They have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.<\/p>\n<p>Finland\u2019s \u201chate speech\u201d law is part of its criminal code forbidding \u201ccrimes against humanity.\u201d The punishments for the conviction include banning the booklet from print and the internet in Finland and imposing fines on Rasanen and Pohjola. The statute also allows for jail time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was convicted of \u2018hate speech\u2019 in Finland for peacefully expressing my Christian views. This was an egregious case of state censorship, noted with concern by observers around the world, including the US State Department and the US Religious Liberty Commission,\u201d Rasanen said in <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/christian-finnish-parliamentarian-blocked-from-entering-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a statement Wednesday<\/a>. \u201cEven though this unjust conviction is currently on appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the UK has likely refused me travel authorisation on this basis. In doing so, the UK is punishing me for exercising my fundamental human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rasanen is a democratically elected member of an allied government, she also noted, which makes her denial of entry even more notable and diplomatically offensive. Finland and the United Kingdom are also U.S. allies and the recipients of massive U.S. military expenditures through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). <\/p>\n<p>Rasanen\u2019s seven-year legal persecution for publicly affirming basic Christian teachings about the sexes has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/15\/prosecuting-paivi-rasanen-for-quoting-the-bible-is-making-her-an-international-star\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">given her message international attention<\/a>. She frequently travels abroad to advocate for free speech for people of every religion and sexual behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Rasanen received permission on June 17 from the U.K.\u2019s home secretary to enter the country, <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/christian-finnish-parliamentarian-blocked-from-entering-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">says ADF<\/a>. That permission was cancelled on July 3 with the explanation, \u201cThe information you provided in your ETA [Electronic Travel Authorization] suggests that you are not eligible for an ETA and it has been canceled,\u201d according to a government communication ADF provided The Federalist. ADF is assisting Rasanen and Pohjola with their legal cases.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>An ADF spokeswoman says Rasanen followed the instructions and applied for a full visa, and received no response. Next, Rasanen privately petitioned Mahmood to reinstate her entry approval and received no response. Rasanen and ADF then <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kristenwaggoner\/status\/2089757441693000143\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">publicly appealed <\/a>on Aug. 18 to Mahmood to allow Rasanen to speak at the conference in person, as previously scheduled, instead of via livestream.<\/p>\n<p>Rasanen was set to speak this week in person to the Northern Ireland Assembly on religious liberty. Because of the ban, she instead must speak by Zoom if U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood does not intervene. The Northern Ireland Assembly is a legislative body of that part of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>The travel ban also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2026\/07\/12\/british-government-rejects-travel-visa-finnish-christian-convicted-hate-speech-citing-bible\/\">disrupted<\/a> a layover for Rasanen and Pohjola\u2019 journey back home to Finland through London\u2019s Heathrow Airport in July. The U.K.\u2019s Home Office press team did not respond to a Tuesday request for comment nor to a follow-up Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Mahmood, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/world-news\/who-is-shabana-mahmood-pak-origin-woman-chosen-as-uks-home-secretary-9235942\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Muslim<\/a> whose parents emigrated to the United Kingdom from Pakistan, is a Labour Party member who spent five years of her childhood in Saudi Arabia. Since the 2010s, the U.K. has <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260407173310\/https:\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/politics\/2190892\/Migrants-Labour-asylum-hotels-extremism-boats-Channel-Israel-Jewish\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enabled a dramatic rise<\/a> in Third World immigration. The consequences include shifting Mahmood\u2019s coreligionists from a leftist voting bloc into a distinct political party, as The Federalist\u2019s John Davidson <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/12\/the-problem-with-dsa-democrats-isnt-socialism-its-third-worldism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has explained<\/a>. This dynamic is also underway inside other Western nations such as France, Spain, and portions of the United States, including in Michigan, New York, and Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Mahmood, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/news\/ladywood-mp-shabana-mahmood-resigns-10046551\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refused <\/a>to serve a Cabinet position under the former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a socialist. Despite previously supporting blanket amnesty for illegal migrants, she has <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/who-is-shabana-mahmood-the-home-secretary-is-the-face-of-labours-most-hardline-immigration-policies-to-date-269977\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taken a new, law-and-order stance<\/a> on immigration amid rising public discontent with Labour\u2019s open-borders policies. Mahmood narrowly fended off a recent challenge in her half-Muslim district from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spiked-online.com\/2026\/05\/14\/akhmed-yakoob-a-morbid-symptom-of-multicultural-failure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">another<\/a> Pakistani immigrant Muslim who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/omg\/article-874888\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> her an \u201cinfidel\u201d for not more strongly supporting violent Islamism in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>Islamic teaching matches that of the Bible on the question that brought about Rasanen\u2019s conviction. Both reflect the reality that men and women are physically different and therefore cannot procreate within same-sex couplings.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this underlying physical and biological reality, all orthodox major world religions decline to falsely label same-sex interactions \u201cmarriage.\u201d For affirming this, Rasanen and her booklet\u2019s publisher, Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, were convicted 3-2 by the Finnish Supreme Court of \u201chate speech\u201d after being cleared by every lower court on free speech grounds.<\/p>\n<p>Surveys <a href=\"https:\/\/futurefreespeech.org\/who-supports-free-speech-findings-from-a-global-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">put Muslim-majority<\/a> nations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2021\/04\/28\/the-politics-of-free-speech-in-muslim-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">among the worst<\/a> in the world for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/sites\/cato.org\/files\/2020-08\/EDB_33_v3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abuse of free speech<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adl.org\/adl-global-100-index-antisemitism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">religious freedom<\/a> rights that have been protected for centuries across the Christian West. Religious genocide and other repression against Christians is common in many Muslim-majority nations, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/research.lifeway.com\/2026\/02\/23\/christian-persecution-reaches-extreme-levels-in-several-nations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aid organizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The other most dangerous regime for Christians is Communism, such as in North Korea and China, and its former holdings, such as Russia, Ukraine, and parts of Europe. European \u201chate speech\u201d laws such as that used to convict Rasanen and Pohjola were imposed under <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/01\/newest-nato-country-escalates-prosecution-of-christians-for-quoting-the-bible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">post-Soviet Communist influence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist and the researcher and host for The Federalist&#8217;s forthcoming lawfare podcast series, &#8220;Overruled.&#8221; Her latest book with Regnery is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/false-colors-the-flag-of-our-occupation-joy-pullmann\/20707173?ean=9781684515875\">False Flag: Why Queer Politics Mean the End of America<\/a>.&#8221;  A happy wife and the mother of six children, her ebooks include the NEW &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/ZT5Wd\" target=\"_blank\">300 Classic Books for Ages 9 to Adult<\/a>,&#8221; and the bestselling &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/payhip.com\/b\/R1JL\">Classic Books For Young Children<\/a>.&#8221;      An 20-year education and politics reporter, Joy has testified before nearly two dozen legislatures on education policy and appeared on major media including Tucker Carlson, CNN, Fox News, OANN, NewsMax, Ben Shapiro, and Dennis Prager. Joy is a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs who identifies as native American and gender natural. Joy is also the cofounder of a high-performing Christian classical school and the author and coauthor of classical curricula.    Her traditionally published books also include &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Education-Invasion-Parents-Control-American\/dp\/1594038813\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1486730068&#038;sr=8-1&#038;keywords=education+invasion\">The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids<\/a>,&#8221; from Encounter Books.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UK bans Finnish Christians over faith, blocking speech<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":2646965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC1457-scaled-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65254,84386,32274,84385],"class_list":["post-2646964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christian-persecution","tag-open-borders-debate","tag-religious-freedom","tag-uk-immigration"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC1457-scaled-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646964","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\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646964"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646967,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646964\/revisions\/2646967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}