Jews Use 9-11 to Toughen Hate Speech Laws in UK
Source: The Associated Press | October 17, 2001
Comedian Rowan Atkinson Fears Laws
LONDON (AP) – Satirists could face prison sentences under new laws making it a crime to incite religious hatred, comedian Rowan Atkinson said Wednesday.
Atkinson, creator of bumbling misanthrope Mr. Bean, wrote in a letter to The Times newspaper that he felt “great disquiet” about the proposals, which were outlined Monday as part of a government package of anti-terrorism measures.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said the rules – which make incitement to religious hatred a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison – were designed to stop “racists, bigots and hotheads” from exploiting the current global crisis to stir up hatred.
But Atkinson said the law cast too wide a net and could, potentially, criminalize films such as Monty Python’s biblical satire “Life of Brian.”
“Having spent a substantial part of my career parodying religious figures from my own Christian background, I am aghast at the notion that it could, in effect, be made illegal to imply ridicule of a religion or to lampoon religious figures,” Atkinson wrote.
Blunkett’s proposals have been broadly welcomed by Muslims and other minority groups, who say they’ve suffered increasing harassment and violence since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
But some civil libertarians have expressed unease, saying the measures could stifle free expression.
“I have always believed that there should be no subject about which one cannot make jokes, religion included,” wrote Atkinson. “For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled.
“The idea that you could be prosecuted for the telling of either is quite fantastic.”
Unveiling the proposals in the House of Commons, Blunkett said none of the new powers was intended to “stifle free speech, dialogue or debate.”
“Fair comment is not at risk, only the incitement to hate,” he said.
Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed, vice president of the Muslim Association of Britain, said violence had escalated dramatically. His group’s office in north London received harassing phone calls and had its windows smashed after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon (news – web sites), he said.
Muslims on the street, especially women, whose head-coverings can make them stand out, “can be exploited, they can be harassed, and everything can be done to them,” he said. The proposed law “will help enhance our rights in this country.”
Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid said at a Labor Party conference early this month that the proposed law could also be used to crack down on violence in that troubled province, where Protestants and Catholics have been battling one another for decades
