Moves to turn down volume on street preachers and performers return - with condition that could see them barred from using amplifiers during public events, and ban on 'graphic' abortion imagery
A bid to turn down the volume on street preachers and performers returns to Belfast tomorrow - with a condition that could see them barred from using amplifiers altogether during public events.
Changes to the city council’s bye-laws could also include banning preachers from displaying “graphic” images of abortions, as part of controversial moves due to come back before politicians at a morning committee meeting.
Suggesting alterations would make it a punishable offence to have street preachers or buskers turn their speakers up above 70 decibels in any any street, footpath or open space in Belfast city centre.
The exact amount someone could be penalised isn’t precisely spelled out in council documents to be debated tomorrow, which state it will be a “level two” fine, but a fixed penalty of up to £500 has previously been suggested.
The bye-law also applies cumulatively, so if two or more preachers or performers within 100 metres of each other jointly cross the 70db threshold, they can both be moved on or ordered to turn their amplifiers down.
Anyone giving a false name or refusing to cooperate with officials punishing them for breaching the bye-law can also be fined £500, council documents state.
Buskers and street preachers could also be banned from using their speakers altogether during “special events”.
State the new bye-laws: “The council may restrict or prohibit the use of amplification by performers in certain areas of the city centre when there is a special event due to take place in the city, but only where it is considered necessary to do so for the purposes of facilitating or delivering the event."
Under the bye-law, “performers” specifically includes street preachers. “Special event” is defined as “a large scale event which is to take place in Belfast which is exceptional in nature and will attract a significant number of visitors to the city”.
Examples of a “special event” aren’t given, but notably the city’s annual LGBT Pride parade always has a Christian protest against it that includes amplified preaching that could potentially be forced to switch its speakers off for the duration of the parade.
Parades, authorised charity collections, licensed street entertainments and trade union picket lines are exempt from the volume restriction bye-laws.
The same meeting is also due to vote on outlawing the display of “graphic imagery” connected to anti-abortion campaigning – which is defined as “pictures, illustrations, images or any other visual representations of aborted and/or miscarried remains of human embryos, foetuses or babies”.
Altered bye-laws would make it an offence to have that imagery on everything from poster and banners to clothing such as T-shirts. Anyone who does display it will be fined up to £500.
Creating new punishable offences and fines around busking, street preaching and the display of “graphic” abortion imagery first came before the council towards the end of last year, with the DUP objecting because they thought the regime was too harsh while Alliance objected as they believed it was too lax.
At the time, the Christian Institute described the 70db volume limit as “only about the level of traffic noise” and “both impractical and unfairly selective”.
Said the Institute’s James Kennedy: “The Bible commands Christians to ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel’, and we hope those in Belfast will continue to be free to do so.”