Police threatened to arrest a Christian man for peacefully sharing his faith on public streets and sidewalks during an Italian festival last year. Now, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is striking back in federal court.

ADF attorneys on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Buffalo over the incident. Police ordered the man to leave the festival, which was free and open to the public, if he intended to continue handing out Christian literature.

As one officer told the man, “If you hand out one more tract, you’re going to jail.”

“People of faith shouldn’t be threatened with arrest for peacefully expressing their beliefs,” says ADF attorney Nate Kellum. “The Constitution and court precedent in these types of cases is clear: officials cannot toss someone out of a public event simply because they don’t like the views he’s expressing. This is a classic example of free speech that the First Amendment protects.” Read the rest here.

Read my article: “Handing Out Tracts: Scary, Yet Effective”