“The intention is clearly to kill me”. says Hatun Tash, the Christian Preacher, Stabbed at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.

“Our freedom is hanging by a thread - if Hatun is silenced by violence at Speakers’ Corner, then we are all silenced.” Says Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre.

GLOBALUK

GJC

7/28/20213 min read

“The intention is clearly to kill me”. says Hatun Tash, the Christian Preacher, Stabbed at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park.

'I can't believe this has happened' Responding to the attack, Hatun said: “I am upset and disturbed by what has happened to me. I am asking myself if have done anything wrong? I am convinced I have not broken any law or incited hate. All I did was question Islam and I wanted to debate discuss and to tell people about Jesus Christ. Speakers’ Corner is a great place to do this, it is a shame that this has happened at the home of freedom of speech.

“Watching the video, the intention is clearly to kill me.

Hatun Tash is a Christian preacher from a group called DCCI (Defend Christ Critique Islam) Ministries who is a regular at Speakers' Corner. The 39-year-old is a former Muslim from Turkey who is now a prominent critic of Islam and believes Muslims should be encouraged to convert to Christianity.

 DCCI Ministries 'seeks to preach the Gospel to Muslims using apologetics and polemics', adding: 'Our motivation is a love for Muslims to bring them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life.'

“I can’t believe this has happened in broad daylight at Speakers’ Corner. You do not expect such things to happen in Great Britain.

“Police inaction has led to what happened to me yesterday. In the past, they have seen it as easier to remove me than deal with people intimidating and threatening me. My attacker was not even afraid of the police as he did it right in front of them. It is heart-breaking that we live in a society where police do not want to arrest a Muslim for fear of being called ‘Islamophobic.’”

'Series of disturbing incidents'

The incident is the latest in a series of concerning events at Speakers' Corner involving Hatun.

Prior to Sunday's incident, the Christian Legal Centre had already filed a pre-action letter with the London Metropolitan Police seeking damages on Hatun's behalf for assault, false arrest, false imprisonment and harassment as a result of the repeated failures to protect her. 

Disturbing incidents and threats to Hatun have been escalating at Speakers’ Corner since September 2020 when footage emerged of a threatening Islamic mob surrounding Hatun which resulted in her receiving death threats.
 
Further incidents, outlined in the pre-action letter, have involved Hatun being slapped, punched and knocked to the ground by Islamic men. 

Police have repeatedly failed to protect Hatun or make any arrests following her being assaulted and threatened. Instead, she has experienced being arrested, detained overnight in a police cell and had her belongings searched humiliatingly in public.

The Free Speech Union has also written to Metropolitan Police raising concerns over her treatment. 

The story comes following protests and death threats about the Batley Grammar School teacher who is still in hiding and fearing for his life after showing a Charlie Hebdo cartoon to his pupils.

'Freedom hanging by a thread.' Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “What happened to Hatun Tash at Speakers’ Corner was harrowing. Sharia law is being implemented there by the back door and Sunday's incident is a serious escalation following a series of concerning episodes. 

"Speakers’ Corner is the embodiment of freedom, that is unlike any other place in the world.

“Our freedom is hanging by a thread - if Hatun is silenced by violence at Speakers’ Corner, then we are all silenced.”

Link to previous news on this article: https://genjc.org/preacher-stabbed-while-preaching
Credit to: Christian Concern

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