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Campaign to repeal ‘silly and dangerous’ blasphemy law
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Want to make a guess Dermot Ahern’s first thoughts on opening his pile of Sunday newspapers this morning?
“Irish atheists are revolting!” may be the least of it.
The campaign by to reverse the “silly and dangerous” blasphemy law, which came into force on 1 January 2010, is spearheaded by writer Michael Nugent, chairman of Atheist Ireland. Its kicks off with the publication of 25 blasphemous quotes on www.blasphemy.ie, including from the Minister himself when he was shepherding his legislation through the Oireachtas. More embarrassing for the Minister, and the Irish body politic in general, news of the fightback against this law is making international headlines.
Other quotes are attributed to Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Mark Twain, Tom Lehrer, Randy Newman, James Kirkup, Monty Python, Rev Ian Paisley, Conor Cruise O’Brien, Frank Zappa, Salman Rushdie, Bjork, Amanda Donohoe, George Carlin, Paul Woodfull, Jerry Springer the Opera, Tim Minchin, Richard Dawkins, Pope Benedict XVI, Christopher Hitchens, PZ Myers, Ian O’Doherty, and Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. The objective of publishing the quotes, according to Nugent, is to support “the right of any Irish citizen to make comparable statements about matters held sacred by any religion without fear of being criminalised, and without having to prove to a court that a reasonable person would find any particular value in the statement.”
“From today, 1 January 2010, the new Irish blasphemy law becomes operational, and we begin our campaign to have it repealed,” Nugent writes.
“Blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. The new law defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted.
Nugent has issued a challenge to Fianna Fail and the Green Party: repeal the law as part of the revision of the Defamation Act. And to all politicians and parties: support a constitutional referendum.
“We also ask all TDs and Senators to support a referendum to remove references to God from the Irish Constitution, including the clauses that prevent atheists from being appointed as President of Ireland or as a Judge without swearing a religious oath asking God to direct them in their work,” Nugent demands.
Can’t see them falling over each other in the rush to get out statements of support on this one, can you?
What will make this focus on blasphemy and mass cards by the minister will be the possibility that the courts will end up tearing the Oireachtas a new one on foot of the challenge by the 15 year old boy to the under-age sex legislation. http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1216/statutory.html
Legislation that it was admitted at the time was rushed and probably flawed, so flawed that the likes of the Green party suggested that there should be sunset clause in it so that it would be revisited in a timely and more considered fashion. Almost 4 years on from the summer of 2006, we still have legislation that criminalises sexual activities on the basis of gender, and which says some activities are illegal on their own but become legal if they lead to full sexual intercourse. And which seems to suggest (from what I recall of Brendan Howlin’s rather excellent examination of it from the Labour benches of the Oireachtas)that girls can’t have under sex at all. Crazy beans.
Meanwhile the man who has been minister for Justice made rectifying blasphemy so that it would keep pace with changing times and regulating the sale of mass cards his priority.