British businessman Samuel Leeds has promised to personally cover legal representation for Christian street preachers who face what he describes as targeted police enforcement and penalties, according to The Christian Broadcasting Network.
Speaking in an interview with Truth Times, Leeds expressed alarm over reports of Christian evangelists being detained or challenged by authorities while preaching publicly.
“I am outraged and shocked to see Christians getting arrested on the streets and being told that they're offensive for preaching about Jesus when we are living in a Christian country,” he said.
Leeds said he was particularly disturbed to see such treatment occurring in Britain.
“We see Christians being persecuted all over the world, but seeing it happen in Great Britain — seeing the disdain, the hatred and now the oppression of Christian voices — really bothers me.”
He said his financial support is intended to ensure that accused preachers have access to qualified attorneys rather than being unable to challenge police decisions.
Leeds said it was “only right and appropriate for me to put my hand in my pocket and help these people.” His goal, he explained, is to provide Christians with “proper legal representation rather than simply being silenced by police officers who sometimes overstep the mark and don't even understand the law themselves.”
“Where Christians are being unfairly targeted simply for preaching their faith, I'm prepared to put my money behind defending them.”
When asked whether Britain applies different standards to Christian preaching and highly sexualized public content, Leeds argued that the disparity is unjust.
“No, it's not fair. Britain has definitely developed a double standard,” he said. “We're a Christian country that's tolerant of everybody and every religion — apart from, increasingly, Christians themselves.”
Leeds did not claim that a centrally organized campaign against Christianity exists, but said Britain’s broader cultural and political direction concerns him.
He referred to the historic suppression of Christianity under communist governments, arguing that “it is much harder to have complete control over somebody who has strong morals and believes that their ultimate accountability is to God rather than the state.”
Leeds said he believes Britain is “heading towards an increasingly state-controlled society, almost communist in certain respects.”
Despite those concerns, he said he sees signs of renewed interest in Christianity across the country.
“There's a revival happening. There's a U-turn taking place. People are waking up and people are coming back to God,” he said. “Is there one deliberate, coordinated agenda against Christianity? I'm not sure. What I am sure about is the direction we're heading in — and I find it deeply concerning.”
Leeds is a British property investor, entrepreneur and property educator who operates businesses related to property training and financing. His official materials state that his holdings include residential and commercial properties, hotels and land.
A professing Christian, Leeds has also become increasingly vocal about religious liberty and has urged Britain to reconnect with its Christian heritage.
