London, 25 February 2026 – A female Metropolitan Police constable has been hailed as a model of “common sense policing” after she firmly upheld a Christian street preacher’s right to freedom of speech when confronted by a group of men who insisted the east London district of Whitechapel was a “Muslim area”.
The confrontation, captured on video and viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media, took place on Whitechapel Road, just yards from the East London Mosque — one of the largest in western Europe and a focal point for the area’s Muslim community (52 per cent of Whitechapel residents identified as Muslim in the latest census).
The incident began with an attack on the preacher
Footage shows the unnamed evangelist, microphone and Bible in hand, preaching the Gospel when he was shoved from behind by a masked man and had his equipment kicked. A second man shouted in his face and made aggressive gestures. The preacher had been quoting from the Quran and criticising aspects of Islam, comments that clearly angered passers-by.
A group of men then surrounded a lone female officer — identified by senior police as PC Moule — and demanded she arrest the preacher for “insulting Islam”, “spreading hatred” and offending the Prophet Muhammad. One man in a black surgical mask declared: “This is Whitechapel, this is a Muslim area.”
PC Moule’s calm defence of free speech
Refusing to be intimidated despite being heavily outnumbered, PC Moule stood her ground and delivered a textbook explanation of British law:
“In this country we have freedom of speech, the same way you guys have your freedom of speech. You guys don’t need to see eye-to-eye and you don’t need to agree.”
When the men continued to press her, she added:
“I understand that you guys don’t want to hear it, so I would just recommend that you walk away and don’t listen to him. He’s not in your home.”
She repeatedly emphasised that the preacher was “not being aggressive” and pointed out that the men were free to preach their own faith in the same public space. She also noted the heavy CCTV presence in the “heavily Muslim community” and warned that the preacher himself appeared to be at risk of assault.
Widespread praise from across the political spectrum
The officer’s handling of the situation has drawn applause from Christians, free-speech campaigners, politicians and even the Metropolitan Police’s own leadership.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, speaking at the London Assembly yesterday, singled out PC Moule for praise:
“It was a good example of officers showing policing common sense without fear or favour and doing a good job.”
Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall told the same meeting she wanted to “congratulate” the officer for reminding people of the meaning of free speech and hoped more officers would follow her example.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, appearing on TalkTV, said the constable “deserves to be honoured” and described her actions as “brilliant”, adding: “I wish more were like her.”
Hundreds of social-media users echoed the sentiment, with comments such as “Well done for standing up for freedom of speech” and “We need more officers with common sense and knowledge of the law.”
The video has sparked renewed debate about free speech, “no-go areas” and two-tier policing in parts of Britain with large Muslim populations. While some criticised the preacher’s confrontational style, the overwhelming reaction has focused on PC Moule’s refusal to cave in to demands that a public street be treated as off-limits to non-Muslim preaching.
Metropolitan Police sources said the force had received numerous messages of support for the officer and that no action would be taken against the preacher, who was not arrested.
The incident comes at a sensitive time, just days before Ramadan, and highlights ongoing tensions on the streets of Whitechapel, where open-air Christian evangelism near the mosque has previously led to heated exchanges.
As one senior policing source put it: “This is exactly what the public expects — officers enforcing the law without fear or favour, regardless of who is complaining.”
PC Moule has not commented publicly, but her measured performance under pressure has already earned her a place in the growing gallery of officers celebrated for simply doing their job.
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