“Thoughtcrime in the UK:” Christian Adam Smith-Connor, persecuted for silent prayer
In October 2024, British army veteran and physiotherapist Adam Smith-Connor was fined £9,000 for silently praying near an abortion clinic in Bournemouth—within a legally enforced “buffer zone.” The court labeled his act a “thought crime,” setting a chilling legal precedent.
PSPOs: Expanding Censorship?
Originally designed to stop anti-social behavior, PSPOs now ban peaceful acts of approval or disapproval near abortion clinics, including prayer. Christians who once held peaceful rallies adapted by praying silently. Now, even that is treated as a criminal offense, effectively targeting people for their faith.
US: Freedoms Still Intact—For Now
In the U.S., silent prayer near abortion clinics is still legal under the First Amendment. However, growing pressure from activist groups like Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and The Women’s March, along with local ordinances in cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, signals a potential shift toward restricting faith-based presence near clinics. The recent Supreme Court’s refusal to hear buffer zone cases signals a growing risk to free expression.
Orwell’s Prophetic Warning
George Orwell, a British author and political thinker, wrote 1984 (1949), a dystopian novel that warns of totalitarian control, where even thoughts against the regime are criminalized. His concept of “thoughtcrime” predicted a society where the state punishes internal beliefs.
He writes, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place… Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever.” “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.”
The UK is now punishing belief itself—just as Orwell foresaw.
Christian persecution in the UK
A year earlier in Ilford, London (2023), a 200-meter buffer zone was imposed under a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), banning prayer, counseling, protests, signs, or leaflets. Redbridge Council even urged residents to report those silently praying or merely standing “as if in protest.”
