Liberty Bell speech limits case delayed

Court arguments over speech restrictions imposed by the National Park Service in Philadelphia have been delayed by a request from the prosecution for a continuance in the case, according to the defendant, Michael Marcavage of Repent America.

The case was sparked by Marcavage's visit in 2007 to the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, which houses the Liberty Bell, the artifact from American history that rang to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and is inscribed with "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof," a biblical quotation from Leviticus 25:10.

Liberty Bell in Philadelphia

Marcavage, a street preacher whose annual fall campaign often includes a stop in Philadelphia, was arrested for speaking against abortion on public property outside the building housing the Liberty Bell. The arrest was documented on video now available on YouTube.

Marcavage told WND he appeared for an arraignment in court yesterday prepared with his defense, only to find that the government had requested a continuance in order to obtain testimony from officials with the National Park Service.

"This is where we have been on a number of other occasions," Marcavage told WND at the time. "This time we were ministering to people waiting in line to see the Liberty Bell, speaking on the message on the Bell, which has 'Proclaim liberty throughout the Land.'"

"We were speaking on the issue of abortion being tolerated in this nation, generally how abortion is simply a representation of how wicked our nation has become, and the need to repent for sin in our own lives," he said. He referenced the loss of liberty by the unborn who are aborted, he said.

Marcavage said his lawyer will be working with the government to set a date at which time the case can move forward before Judge Arnold Rapoport.

He said the issue at the core of the dispute is huge.

"In a land that tolerates the killing of unborn children, it is not surprising that we find ourselves in a continual battle for our freedoms," he said. "When the church is silent as the most helpless among us have their beating hearts stopped at the hands of abortionists, then we do not deserve liberty."

Under the direction of Ian Crane, chief ranger of Independence National Historical Park, supervising ranger Alan Saperstein repeatedly approached Marcavage to demand that he and the ministry team move to a "free speech zone" on the other side of the Liberty Bell Center, which was nowhere near those entering or exiting, Repent America reported.

"Saperstein stated that in the future that RA would need to obtain a written permit to even speak in the 'free speech zone,' but given a 'verbal permit' to go there for the day, which Marcavage refused, citing that constitutional protections were sufficient."

The technical charge against him accuses him of violating the terms of a permit he never accepted.

The minister, who previously has challenged Philadelphia city regulations limiting free speech by preaching the Bible at homosexual festivals there, said the stop was part of his regular fall tour.

"Every year in October we go on a pro-life evangelism tour. This year it runs from Oct. 3-11," he said. "We travel throughout Pennsylvania, visit a number of high school and college campuses, and talk about the reality of abortion. Since we were in Philadelphia we thought it would be a good opportunity to stop [in the area] of Independence Hall. We've been there before."

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