Lalor engaged in regular prayer walks during a nationwide lockdown in England in 2021, when daily exercise outdoors was permitted.
On Feb. 24, 2021, she left her home in Liverpool and went for a prayer walk near an abortion facility. She wore a mask, walked alone, and maintained a social distance from others.
A police officer stopped her and asked why she was outdoors. When she replied that she was “walking and praying,” the officer reportedly said that she did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be outside and accused her of engaging in a protest.
Lalor was arrested, detained in a police car, charged, and fined 200 pounds (around $260) under temporary coronavirus measures.
She said: “I never thought that in a democratic country like the U.K. I would be arrested for a simple and solitary prayer walk. When I was walking outdoors, I was praying in the privacy of my own mind.”
“What kind of society are we when people can be arrested simply for peacefully manifesting their faith in public?”
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