A pro-life activist who was arrested for quietly praying outside of an abortion clinic has been paid approximately $17,000 USD from the West Midlands Police in Birmingham, England, according to Fox News.
After the arrest she filed a claim accusing the police of false imprisonment, assault and wrongful arrest. She was detained for allegedly violating a Public Space Protection Order, the police said at the time.
The women, UK March for Life Director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, said: "Clearly, I'm delighted to have this, but there's almost a bit of déjà vu. While I'm saying I'm delighted, I feel vindicated."
"I remember saying something similar when I came out of court, after having to go to court over being arrested and yet, two weeks later [after being acquitted], I was arrested again for my silent prayers. So, I do hope that the police have finally learned a lesson that silent prayer is not and can never be a criminal activity," she continued.
"I think the bigger point is that I shouldn't have had to go to these lengths to be getting some kind of an apology or payout from the police. That wasn't what I wanted to do. I just want fair treatment, and I think that would be the case with all Christians, with all pro-lifers. We just want some fairness and some justice to happen. We shouldn't have to be threatening to go to court," she said.
The legal entity representing her said: "The fact that they have settled this, in addition to apologizing in an earlier part of these proceedings, is an indication, frankly, that this should never have happened and that it was completely wrong that it happened, and the behavior towards Isabel was outrageous."
They continued: "I think the video of her arrest and detention went viral with millions of views across the world and really brought a significant degree of embarrassment to the police in this country that they behaved in such a manner to begin with, so we're very happy, to see at least an acknowledgment in the form of the settlement of the wrongful behavior, but it's, again, very disappointing and troubling that this was allowed to happen in the first place."
Videos show police questioning Vaughan-Spruce about her presence near the abortion clinic. With the new Labour government, concerns about increased crackdowns on free expression have grown, according to the report.
Vaughan-Spruce fears similar incidents could recur and urges for clearer recognition of prayer as a "basic human right" to prevent police from imposing their "own ideological beliefs."
