Gays vs Free Speech

It seems to me that those of us who believe in the unfettered rights of our opponents to speak their minds - especially within the context of sincere religious faith - should be decrying what just happened in Britain:

Dale McAlpine was charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a homosexual police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships...

Mr McAlpine, who was taken to the police station in the back of a marked van and locked in a cell for seven hours on April 20, said the incident was among the worst experiences of his life.

“I felt deeply shocked and humiliated that I had been arrested in my own town and treated like a common criminal in front of people I know," he said. “My freedom was taken away on the hearsay of someone who disliked what I said, and I was charged under a law that doesn't apply.”

Britain doesn't have a First Amendment, a lack which makes it much easier to police and intimidate speech. This shows it could do with one.