Democracy cannot exist without the right to free speech.
Free speech should be robustly defended as a fundamental freedom.
The National Secular Society has defended free speech from religious threats since our founding. We played an instrumental role in abolishing "blasphemy" laws in Britain, but serious concerns remain. Blasphemy laws still exist in Northern Ireland. And throughout the UK, religious fundamentalists seek to impose their blasphemy taboos on others through violence and intimidation.
There are also increasing attempts to categorise offending religious sensibilities as 'hate speech', making criticism, mockery or perceived 'insult' of religion a criminal act akin to racial hatred or inciting violence – in other words, a 'blasphemy law by the back door'.
Without free speech no search for truth is possible; without free speech no discovery of truth is useful; without free speech progress is checked… Better a thousand fold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech.
We are further concerned by a developing 'culture of offence' in which any speech or action deemed likely to offend religious sensibilities is considered taboo. Enforced by a toxic mix of terrorism and religious deference, this is chilling free speech through self-censorship.
We also campaign against blasphemy laws around the world, where they continue to be used to target religious and political minorities. These are sometimes described by UK politicians as 'misuse' of blasphemy laws, but we contend there are never any legitimate uses for blasphemy laws.
Being offended from time to time is the price we all pay for living in a free society. Rather than trying to silence those we disagree with, we believe the answer to speech we don't like is more speech – better speech.
We therefore campaign to protect and preserve freedom of expression, including offensive, critical and shocking speech.
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Latest updates
Free speech campaigners concerned by Ed Miliband’s vow to ban ‘Islamophobia’- without defining what it means
Posted: Wed, 29 Apr 2015 09:26
The National Secular Society and other advocates for freedom of expression have expressed alarm after Labour leader Ed Miliband set out his intention to 'outlaw' Islamophobia.
Speaking with Muslim News, Mr Miliband said of 'Islamophobia': "We are going to make it an aggravated crime. We are going to make sure it is marked on people's records with the police to make sure they root out Islamophobia as a hate crime."
"We are going to change the law on this so we make it absolutely clear … our abhorrence of hate crime and Islamophobia. It will be the first time that the police will record Islamophobic attacks right across the country."
"We will challenge prejudice before it grows, whether in schools, universities or on social media. And we will strengthen the law on disability, homophobic, and transphobic hate crime."
Writing on Liberal Democrat Voice, Mark Wright argued that the Labour Party had "unfinished business" with so-called "religious hatred."
Wright said "defenders of freedom of speech should be alarmed" at the "nebulous" proposal put forward by Ed Miliband, because they seemed to imply a return to the then-Labour Government's attempt in 2006 to "criminalise 'deliberately insulting' a religion."
The article noted that Ed Miliband himself voted for the original, defeated wording of the 2006 Racial and Religious Hatred Bill (now Act)- which would have seriously impinged free speech.
NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans commented: "There already exists a distinct offence of religiously aggravated hate crime that carries a maximum 7 year tariff. We all want to prevent bigoted attacks on people, but given how tough the law is already – this sounds like Ed Miliband may want to revisit the 2006 legislation on 'insulting religion'. If so he'll be challenged every step of the way.
"'Islamophobia' is a highly contentious and nebulous term, and at the very least, Mr Milliband needs to define what he is intending to outlaw."
NSS honorary associate Maajid Nawaz, who is a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, said "no idea is above scrutiny" and described the vague proposal as "illiberal."
Professor Richard Dawkins, also an honorary associate of the NSS, has been drumming up opposition to Mr Miliband's comments on social media and called on him to explain his plans. He asked if the proposed law would prosecute Charlie Hebdo and said that if it wouldn't "it would be useful" to have a clarification of the Labour leader's comments "to explain why not."
Dealing with the confusion around the term 'Islamophobia', Professor Dawkins said he thought Ed Miliband was against violent attacks against people and anti-Muslim bigotry, for which there were already applicable laws, but asked, "why privilege religion?"
He challenged Ed Miliband on Twitter over whether he could "go to jail" for quoting Islamic scripture which says, "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him."
In 2006 the National Secular Society worked along with campaign groups including the Christian Institute, and campaigners such as former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris, against the original wording of the 2006 Act, which was described at the time by the NSS as "draconian" and a "huge blow to freedom of expression." Ultimately, after a narrow single-vote defeat, a much more watered-down version of the legislation was passed into law.
Bath Student Union and university chaplains blocked comedy sketch material on Mohammed and Jesus
Posted: Mon, 27 Apr 2015 12:42
Student Union officials and university chaplains ordered a line featuring Mohammed cut from a student comedy show, because it caused "great offence."
Bath Impact the student newspaper, reports that Union officials said the decision had been taken to maintain the 'inclusivity' of the university and to 'avoid complaints.'
One of the organisers told the National Secular Society that the sketch only "had a one line reference to Mohammed" but the group was told that they "couldn't mention him at all".
The Student Union showed the material to the chaplaincy, whose complaint was escalated to the Secretary of the University. The Society was then told "unofficially" that they would face disciplinary action if they performed the show as written.
The Society therefore cooperated and removed the line, but the entire sketch was removed anyway- despite the 'offending' line being edited out.
The chaplains also denounced the scene, which featured Jesus, as "graphic" and offensive. According to organisers of the Comedy Writing, Improvisation and Performance Society (CWIPS), the skit, called "Cooking With Christ" had to be removed when chaplains complained.
Just four hours before the opening night of the show, "The Bible According to CWIPS", a Union official who attended a rehearsal told the society that the "Cooking With Christ" scene had to be excised because of the chaplaincy's objections.
Ironically, the chaplaincy staged their own, separate performance of biblical scenes on the same night- which depicted Jesus being stabbed.
While one member of the Comedy Society said that the Union initially "couldn't give more of an explanation" for their instruction to axe the sketch, the Society learned that the University Chaplaincy had become involved, and organisers were then told that chaplains had read the scene and had "pronounced that [it was] too graphic."
The Chaplaincy is said to have described the cut sketch as "extreme", but the organisers commented that they had "worked very hard in order to make sure [the] material was enjoyable and pleasant for people of all faiths and background."
The Comedy Society was forced to abide by the Union's ruling, though organisers complained that while the Union was led by elected officers, the Chaplaincy should have had no authority within the Union.
Nick West, Assistant Director for "The Bible According to CWIPS", told the NSS; "At a university with such diversity of religion among students it's important to try to make sure no person feels alienated by the work we do. But the line needs to be drawn somewhere."
He added in a written statement that "at no point in the show" did the Comedy Society victimise any faith or its members.
"At the end of the day, it was a show based around the Bible and religion, not a show mocking it."
Despite advising that the line featuring Mohammed and the "Cooking With Christ" sketch be cut, the chaplaincy commented that "freedom of speech is important and should be respected".
The show also featured material on the Bible, Richard Dawkins, and a scene with God attending Jesus' school's nativity play.
NSS president Terry Sanderson said: "This is another example of blasphemy codes being normalised. It is extraordinary that the mere mention of Mohammed was considered unacceptable and that students were threatened with disciplinary action.
"The decision taken about the single line of dialogue mentioning Mohammed assumes that Muslim students would have been offended, and takes that as a sufficient reason to curtail these students' artistic expression.
"It is also very troubling to see 'inclusivity' being used as a spurious reason to shut down parts of the performance. There is an atmosphere of hysteria around satirising or criticising Islam, particularly since the Charlie Hebdo attack. We must start reclaiming ground from those who would silence free expression and satire.
"It is sheer hypocrisy from the chaplaincy to say freedom of speech should be respected while seeking to censor material lampooning Christianity."
Update 28/04/15: This story has been amended after new information came to light. An earlier version stated that the sketch "depicted" Mohammed, in fact, the scene simply mentioned him. Additionally, organisers have informed us that material relating to Jesus was cut as well, after chaplains objected to it.
Update 05/05/15: The Bath Atheists, Humanists & Secularists Society have written an open letter to the Students' Union and the University Secretary expressing their concerns over the incident and implications for free expression and community cohesion at the University.
