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
Prominent NSS supporters exercise their right to freedom of speech
Posted: Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:05
Last week new NSS honorary associate Professor Lawrence Krauss caused controversy when he threatened to walk out of a UCL debate with a Muslim group because the audience had been sexually segregated.
Afterwards he told the Daily Telegraph that the incident highlights a wider problem: many British people are too afraid to challenge "a vocal and aggressive" section of the Muslim community. The former advisor to President Obama said Britons were often "cowed" by those eager to protest whenever they felt "their cultural norms are not being met".
He told the Telegraph: "People are not only afraid to offend, but afraid to offend a vocal and aggressive group of people. There is a segment of the Islamic community that is very vocal about this."
Another honorary associate, historian Dr David Starkey, upset some Catholics when he said on Radio 4 that the Catholic Church is "irredeemably corrupt from top to bottom".
In an outspoken attack, Dr Starkey said the election of a new Pope was simply "theatre" which would mean nothing to those outside the faith. He was speaking on the programme Broadcasting House on Sunday in a discussion with Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, about the election of the new pope.
Dr Starkey said: "The plain truth is that this is an institution, as we all remembered before Benedict XVI resigned, retired, this is an institution that is corrupt and riddled with corruption, irredeemably corrupt from top to bottom and we are just deceiving ourselves."
Professor Duffy responded by saying Christians do not believe that anything is irredeemable.
When asked what the new Pope meant for non-Catholics inBritain, Dr Starkey replied: "Nothing at all. It is simply part of the great world theatre of entertainment. It is up one minute with a new papal election and down the next with the next lot of revelations about the turpitude of the clergy."
He risked further offence by claiming that Thomas Becket, the murdered medieval Archbishop venerated as a saint by many Catholics, should be the "patron saint of child abusers".
The main scandals within the Catholic Church occurred in areas such as Ireland and America where they acted "outside the law" – as King Henry II accused the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket of doing in the 12th Century, prior to his killing.
Dr Starkey said: "I want to have a new patron saint. I want to declare that Thomas Becket is the patron saint of child abusers."
When asked if he wanted to respond to the claims, Professor Duffy, a Catholic, replied: "Well, no."
Dr Starkey is widely regarded as one of Britain's leading constitutional historians, and has presented series for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is to host a new series on how the British monarchy has influenced classical music for the BBC this year to mark the anniversary of the Queen's coronation.
Meanwhile, the comedian Rowan Atkinson, who has been prominent in NSS campaigns on free speech, got himself into trouble with an irreverent sketch on the BBC's Comic Relief night last week. The sketch — where he appeared as a fictionalised new Archbishop of Canterbury — generated 2,133 complaints to the BBC and 400 to the media regulator Ofcom.
The Atkinson sketch featured his Archbishop of Canterbury character — or "Arch" as he styled himself — underlining that he was not gay, using the phrase "arsing about" and the word "shagging", and comparing One Direction to Jesus' disciples.
The piece was pre-recorded on a studio set but was played out to the live audience at BBC Television Centre, who audibly gasped at the line: "Keep on praying – it doesn't work, but it's a good part of a getting-to-sleep routine if you've got insomnia."
The BBC has not included the sketch in its iPlayer compilation of Comic Relief highlights, and has issued this statement: "Comic Relief night features seven hours of live television and is known for pushing at the boundaries of comedy alongside heartfelt appeal films. It is made for a varied and wide-ranging audience, so getting the language, tone and content of the evening is extremely important to us… to any viewers we may have offended, we apologise.
"Rowan is well known for his comedy characters and this was an affectionate portrayal of an Archbishop figure, which was intended to amuse and entertain. We did not mean to cause any offence."
IHEU attacks Islamic states over freedom of expression
Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:53
International Ethical and Humanist Union representative Roy Brown has again reminded Islamic States of their responsibility to uphold the right to freedom of expression.
Mr Brown delivered the below statement this week at the 22nd regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Freedom of Expression and the OIC
Mr President,
Freedom of expression is once again under sustained attack from the member states of the OIC: In Saudi Arabia last week, two activists were sentenced to ten years in jail for exposing hundreds of cases of human rights abuse in the kingdom.
In Iran, we have seen protesters imprisoned and even sentenced to death, for "waging war against God". But what strange logic can possibly equate criticism and peaceful protest with waging war? And since when did any government equate itself with God?
In Morocco, a colleague has had to flee for his life because he wrote of his doubts about Islam.
In Mauritania, last Saturday, a group of nine antislavery protesters were attacked and severely beaten by police.
In Pakistan, hundreds of Shias have been murdered for holding the "wrong" beliefs.
But we have waited in vain for condemnation by the OIC of human rights abuses carried out by agents of the State within its member States. Instead, we have seen protests against Islamic extremism condemned as "Islamophobia", which was recently described by the prime minister of Turkey as "a crime against humanity".
A crime against humanity, Mr President? No Sir. We see murder, ethnic cleansing, torture, kidnappings, suicide bombings, and terrorist attacks as crimes against humanity.
It is people that have human rights, Mr President, not beliefs. Protesting against human rights abuse, and pointing out where the responsibility lies, is not a crime, it is a duty. And it is the duty of every member state of this Council to uphold the right to freedom of expression, not condemn it.
Thank you Sir.
IHEU, to which the National Secular society is affiliated, is the sole world umbrella organisation for humanist, atheist, rationalist, secularist, skeptic, laique, ethical, cultural, freethought and similar organisations world-wide.
Also see: More work from the IHEU team in Geneva:
Iran admits torture following pressure from IHEU at the UN
"Why must I be killed?" asks Moroccan atheist
