🚨🚨 FREE SPEECH UNION AND BIG BROTHER WATCH VICTORY!
The FSU has joined forces with
@BigBrotherWatch (BBW) to back two people arrested for holding signs that read “f*** Islam” at the Unite the Kingdom march in May. The pair were being investigated for potential breaches of the Public Order Act, with possible religious aggravation.
We received news today that the case against one of the individuals has been dropped following representations made by the FSU and BBW.
In a joint legal letter to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police, we urged them to drop the case — pointing out that Britain does not have blasphemy laws and that it is not an offence to express hostility towards any religion.
We also cited the case of Hamit Coskun, who was accused of threatening public order after he burnt a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London in peaceful protest against what he called the Islamification of his home country, Turkey.
The judgment made it very clear that the law distinguishes between the right to express hostility towards a religion and hatred towards people because of their religion. As Mr Justice Bennathan said: “The right to freedom of expression, if it is a right worth having, must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb.”
The UK is in the midst of a free speech crisis. We cannot allow the Government and the police to revive our censorious blasphemy laws — for Islam alone.
The misuse of public order legislation must stop. It is having a chilling effect on our right to free speech, our right to protest and our right to criticise ANY religion.