CONTENTS / BLOG (15), Just World Campaign

LONDON
Mr Bean star Rowan Atkinson has launched a freedom of speech campaign against a proposed British law meant to stop incitement of religious hatred.
   Atkinson said some of his comedy sketches would contravene the Bill.
   The Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill is before Parliament. Its penalties range up to seven years in jail.
   Atkinson said parts of the Bill were a wholly inappropriate response and could stifle free expression.
   A coalition of writers, National Secular Society representatives and a cross-party group of MPs were at the campaign launch at the House of Commons yesterday.
   The proposed legislation will create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred to protect faith groups -- particularly Muslims -- from attacks.
   The coalition said there were enough laws to deal with extremists and the Bill risked undermining free speech, the freedom of satirists, comedians and writers, and legitimate discussion about religion and religious practices.
   "To criticise a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous,"

Atkinson said. "But to criticise their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticise ideas, any ideas -- even if they are sincerely held beliefs -- is one of the fundamental freedoms of society and a law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed."
   He sympathised with promoters of the Bill, particularly British Muslims. "But unfortunately is is a wholly inappropriate response far more likely to promote tension between communities than tolerance," he said.
   A Home Office spokeswoman said the Bill would not affect free speech.
   "There is a clear difference between criticism of a religion and the act of inciting hatred against members of a religious group," she said. "The incitement offensive has a high criminal threshold and prosecution requires the consent of the Attorney-General.
   "There has not been a widespread sense that the existing offence has interfered with free speech and we are confident that an offensive incitement to religious hatred will not do so either."   PRESS ASSOCIATION