A 78-year-old retired pastor was found guilty in early May of 2026 of violating Northern Ireland’s Orwellian-named ‘Abortion Services Safe Access Zones Act’ after being charged nearly two years ago of praying too close to a hospital that performed abortions. Clive Johnson, aged 76 at the time of the trumped-up crime, was convicted and fined for not giving enough space to an ‘abortion buffer zone.
For context, woke judges cited a 2023 law that “bans ‘anti-abortion protests’ as well as the catch-all “other behaviors” within a specific proximity to entrances and exits of abortion providers, be they hospitals or clinics. The law demands a safe zone that stretches anywhere from 100 to 250 yards at every possible doorway,” the Christian Tribune previously wrote in 2025 as the case dragged on in courts.
Johnson is expected to challenge the ruling, as it establishes a criminal record and financial penalty for himself but also a dangerous precedent which will undoubtedly be used in future assaults on Chrisitan prayer and protest against far-left policies. Libs of TikTok reported a $600 fine along with his new criminal record.
In a fiery retort following his latest legal setback, the retired pastor again denounced any notion that he had engaged in harassment and likewise called the ruling a “dark day for Christian freedom.” In further comments, he explained to reporters what exactly transpired that day outside the hospital.
“We held a small, open-air Sunday service near a hospital. We made no reference whatsoever to the issue of abortion. And yet the buffer zones law is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offense. And at 78 years of age, I find myself, for the first time, convicted of a crime,” he elaborated.
“If someone is out there causing trouble, stirring up violence, harassing or verbally attacking people, then, absolutely, go ahead and prosecute them. But I wasn’t doing any of those things as the police video shows and as everyone involved in this case accepts,” he added.
Amazingly, at the center of the prosecutorial team’s argument against Johnson was the use of the famous bible verse John 3:15, which states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This message was seemingly political, not religious, and therefore in violation of the aforementioned law passed just a year before being cited against Johnson. Freedom of religion and political speech were purposefully given a gray area.
As also previously reported by the Christian Tribune: “For more context, he was standing on the other side of a divided highway and was joined by a small group of about twelve other people. In addition to the presence of the divided highway, he appears to have been at least partially hidden from the hospital’s view by a large hedge. His defense has raised the point that at no time did his service ever even mention abortion, nor did anyone hold any signs. He faces an additional charge for failing to leave when asked.”