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.
What you can do
1. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
2. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Bath Student Union says decision to cut Jesus and Mohammed sketch was “in line with normal practice”
Posted: Mon, 11 May 2015 13:03
Bath Student Union has defended their decision to cut 'blasphemous' material from a student group's comedy show, saying that it is "normal practice" for Student Union officers to edit scripts.
The Student Union removed material from a Comedy Society production in April 2015, and told organisers that they couldn't mention Mohammed "at all." A scene featuring Jesus also had to be removed, and members of the Society were "unofficially" threatened with disciplinary action if they performed the material as originally written.
The Union consulted with university chaplains, who denounced a scene featuring Jesus, and who then took their complaints to the Secretary of the University.
The Union has now said that "the SU Activities Officer worked with the production team, having consulted a variety of stakeholders, to review the script and requested some edits to be made."
Stephen Evans of the National Secular Society commented: "Why are the chaplaincy considered 'stakeholders' in this story? You wouldn't ask the local Conservative Party Association for permission to make jokes about David Cameron. Why should jokes about religion require approval from local religious figures? It's absurd."
The Bath Atheist, Humanist and Secular (BAHS) Society wrote an open letter in protest at the Union's decision, and said they were "confused by the inclusion of the Chaplaincy in this affair." They added, "as an organisation independent from the Students' Union we cannot understand why the Activities Officer approached them with the script, or indeed why the Chaplaincy should have any influence on the SU's decisions whatsoever."
Despite the furore, the organisers insist that their work was not "mocking" religion and that they had "worked very hard" to make sure "people of all faiths and backgrounds" could enjoy the show.
The Union has issued a statement explaining that the SU is a, "a membership organisation with members from a range of different faith, social and cultural backgrounds, and operates within an agreed set of Values."
They argued that these values "clearly demonstrate the SU's commitment to ensuring an inclusive, welcoming and friendly environment for the entire student community."
The "values" of the Student Union include being "student-led", 'empowering' students, "promoting a sense of fun and enjoyment" and "creating an environment where new ideas are encouraged."
Stephen Evans added, "in this case the Union seem to be in breach of their own 'values'. Rather than being 'student-led' they have strangely deferred to the chaplaincy, rather than empowering students they have censored them, and instead of encouraging new ideas they seem intent on preserving very old ones.
"Frustratingly, the Union's statement seems to be deliberately vague, and doesn't engage at all with the debate about free speech. They again use 'inclusivity' as a reason to curtail artistic expression; something we criticised them for when the story first came to light."
See also: It should be politically impossible for universities to enforce blasphemy laws
British Muslim Youth object after cancellation of debate following police intervention
Posted: Tue, 5 May 2015 11:39
A Muslim youth organisation has complained that a debate they had arranged with ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson was prevented from taking place by South Yorkshire Police and the Rotherham Borough Council.
British Muslim Youth (BMY) issued a statement expressing their disappointment that a debate on whether "child sexual exploitation was a Muslim issue" was cancelled following interventions from South Yorkshire Police and the Rotherham Borough Council.
The founder of British Muslim Youth, Muhbeen Hussain, reported that the BMY had been 'bombarded' with messages asking why the event had been cancelled, and Mr Hussain said he wanted to expose the real reasons for the cancellation.
Mr Hussain was due to debate against Tommy Robinson.
Hussain said the first venue pulled out of hosting the talk after pressure was exerted by the South Yorkshire Police and the Rotherham Borough Council.
He blamed both the police and the council for preventing the event from going ahead as originally planned. The BMY had informed the police that the event was going on, and notified them that it was being held as a private event, with private security. Mr Hussain said he wanted the police to be aware of the event, however it now appears that the talk was scrapped because "pressure" was exerted on the venue, by the police.
A second venue is then said to have backed out of a signed contract to host the debate because of "advice" they had received from the Rotherham Borough Council and South Yorkshire Police. Mr Hussain claims that the venue was advised by the council and the police to cancel the event.
He said the police and council simply "didn't want" the debate to happen, and that they failed to contact the organisers after recommending that the second venue drop the planned talk.
Mr Hussain claimed there were "no substantial concerns" about the event and that he did not believe they had any "legal authority" to stop the event from going ahead. He alleged that the police used their "social authority" to wrongly stop the debate. He said the police scared the venue off hosting the talk.
The BMY founder said that police simply wanted to "cancel the event." He added that he would not be bullied into scrapping the talk.
NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans commented: "A climate exists whereby any critical discussion of Islam is being made difficult or even off-limits. Such a situation is counterproductive for British Muslims and is deeply deleterious for society".
We understand the debate has now been re-arranged for late July early August.
Watch the statement from the founder of British Muslim Youth, Muhbeen Hussain.
