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
Religious threats to free speech in Britain and Poland
Posted: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:36
A man in Boston, Lincolnshire has been warned by the police that if he puts up a small poster in his window that says "religions are fairy stories for adults" he could face arrest.
John Richards was told by officers that the poster could breach the Public Order Act by "distressing" passers by. But Mr Richards is defiant and says her will put up the poster anyway, as not to do so implies a threat to free speech.
He told The Boston Standard: "The police said I could be arrested if somebody complained and said they were insulted, but the sign was up two years ago and nobody responded or smashed the window. I am an atheist and I feel people are being misled by religion. I wanted to show people that if they thought they were alone there was at least one other person who thought that. I accept that the police emphasised the words could lead to an arrest but the implication is a threat to free speech which surely should be fought."
The Public Order Act dictates that it is an offence to display any sign which is threatening, abusive or insulting, and could cause distress. The NSS is currently campaigning to have the "insulting" element of this law removed.
After the story appeared and the NSS took it up, the Lincolnshire Police issued a statement saying that there was no such threat to Mr Richards. But it did admit that if a complaint was received, an officer would attend and try to persuade Mr Richards to take the poster down. If he refused – which he said he would –he would be arrested.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "The police response more or less confirms what Mr Richards is saying – if he insists on exercising free speech in the face of objections from someone who claims to be insulted or offended then he will be arrested and possibly charged.
"This is another example of the incoherence of Section 5 of the Public Order Act and a strong argument for it to be radically changed to remove this threat to free expression."
Meanwhile, in Poland a popular singer known as Doda has lost an appeal over "offending the religious feelings" of two complainants, who objected to her saying in an interview that the Bible "was written by someone who was hammered on wine and who'd been smoking herbs." She has been ordered to pay a 5000 zloty fine (1170 euro), in keeping with the original verdict.
Dorota Rabczewska (Doda's real name) had been brought to court after complaints were filed by Ryszard Nowak, chairman of the privately run Nationwide Defence Committee Against Sects, and Stanislaw Kogut, a senator for the conservative Law and Justice party.
In her original defence, the singer had claimed that she had not intended to offend anyone, and that the cited herbs "were certainly therapeutic ones" and the alcohol in question "sacramental wine."
Rabczewska has not been given leave to appeal to Poland's Supreme Court, but her lawyer is considering an extraordinary appeal toPoland's Ombudsman on Civil Rights. An appeal to European Court of Human Rights could also be pursued.
Ryszard Nowak has been involved in several high profile cases of this kind, including one against Miss Rabczewska's former boyfriend, Adam Darski, frontman of death metal band Behemoth.
Darski, known to his fans as Nergal, was taken to court for tearing up a copy of the Bible during a 2007 concert. The long-running case was ultimately dropped.
At present, the Democratic Left Alliance party is working on a draft bill that will cut the maximum penalty for insulting religious feelings from two years imprisonment to six months.
Advertising watchdog accused of inconsistency over ads featuring religious imagery
Posted: Wed, 30 May 2012 15:05
The National Secular Society has accused the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of being inconsistent in dealing with complaints about ads using religious imagery after the watchdog cleared an advertisement for a barber's shop that appeared to mock Jesus' second coming but had previously banned adverts for ice cream featuring a pregnant nun and apparently gay priests.
The NSS has written to the ASA's chairman, Lord Smith, asking him to revisit the ice cream ad judgments with a view to reversing them.
In its latest report, the ASA has cleared an advertisement for a barber's shop which was accused of "offending Christians."
The advert showed a picture of Jesus with the text "He is coming… Better get your hair done!" and was created for Barber Brown's salon in Bristol.
Just two people complained that the advert was offensive to Christians and that the ad "implied that Jesus would judge people on their outward appearance" and was offensive as it "depicted the Second Coming as humorous".
Owners of the shop — which has branches throughout the south-west — said it had not been their intention to cause offence, the intention had been for something humorous and "different".
The advertising watchdog ruled that the ad did not breach their guidelines, although it acknowledged that some people might find it distasteful. The ruling said:
The ASA noted that the ad featured a depiction of Jesus bathed in light and that the text appeared to make reference to the Second Coming. We acknowledged that some people might find the ad distasteful. However, we considered that most consumers would understand that it was a light-hearted take on the biblical story rather than a mockery of Christian belief. Because we considered that the ad was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence, we concluded that it had not breached the Code.
But previously the ASA had banned two advertisements from the ice cream manufacturer Antonio Federici one of which showed a pregnant nun and the other featured two priests who appeared to be on the verge of kissing each other.
Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "The ASA is completely inconsistent in its approach to adverts featuring religious imagery. It bans much milder advertisements — such as those for the ice cream company Antonio Federici which sent up clergy and nuns rather than anything directly to do with faith — and yet clears this one that parodies Jesus. Where's the logic in that?"
Mr Sanderson said that the ASA may be easing up a little on its previously strict approach to advertising using religious images after NSS staff met with Lord Smith to discuss the ASA's unjustifiable restrictions on free expression.
