A driver in Birmingham, England, was denied car insurance unless he removed a homemade “Jesus loves you” message from his vehicle.
Simeon Chandra, 35, is now considering legal action against the UK insurance company that declined to renew his coverage.
According to Christian Concern, Chandra contacted GoSkippy Insurance before placing the stickers on his car for transparency purposes.
The company told Chandra he was allowed to place the stickers if he sent photos that would be added to his file.
Once the Christian motorist sent photos of a “Jesus Loves You” message, an underwriting department at the company “declined the modification done on the vehicle as per stickers added on the vehicle.”
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Chandra’s Christian message was not the only thing to be declined. The company later made it clear that if Chandra did not remove the message with evidence that he did so, his car insurance renewal would be dropped.
“For the policy to continue and be insured,” GoSkippy wrote, “we require the stickers to be removed from the vehicle and send a dated photograph once the stickers have been removed.”
For Chandra, the request to remove the stickers came as a shock, considering his message is not abusive, political, hateful, or commercial – but rather a message of hope and peace that should not disqualify him from receiving car insurance.
“I was shocked, surprised and upset when they told me I had to take the stickers off,” Chandra told the Christian Legal Centre. “I had tried to do the right thing by telling the insurer about the stickers and sending photographs. The message on my car is very simple: ‘Jesus Loves You.’ It is not abusive, political, hateful or commercial. It is a message of hope.”
“I could not understand why this would mean I could not have car insurance. We see all kinds of messages, flags, and slogans in public life. But when a Christian puts a peaceful message on his own car, suddenly it appears to become a problem,” Chandra continued.
In hopes of clarifying and possibly remedying the issue, Chandra iterated that the message was not for business purposes, but “to spread a positive message that Jesus loves you.”
However, despite his efforts, Chandra reports that GoSkippy did not respond, which prompted him to seek legal action. The UK-based Christian Legal Centre (CLC) is now legally supporting Chandra.
Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said Chandra’s case is not just about vehicle modifications, but rather the freedom of religion along with the freedom to express it, and the insurer’s behavior should sound the alarm for all who care to protect it.
“This case is not about a technical vehicle modification. It is about whether ordinary Christians are free to express their faith in public without being excluded from essential services,” Williams said in a public statement. “A sticker saying ‘Jesus Loves You’ is not comparable to a commercial advert, a political campaign or an offensive slogan. It is a peaceful statement of Christian belief.”
“If insurers can refuse cover because a customer displays a Christian message, that should alarm everyone who cares about freedom of religion and freedom of expression,” Williams added.
