Speeches from Waterford Meeting
The first public meeting against the blasphemy law took place on Thursday 21 May 2009 in the Tower Hotel, Waterford. Here are the speeches by Michael Nugent, chair of Atheist Ireland and Barry Grant, Waterford citizen and campaigner. Michael Nugent outlines the context of the proposed law Barry Grant analyses ...
Submission to Justice Committee
The All-Party Justice Committee is meeting today to discuss the Defamation Bill, and we have arranged to send them a submission which will be circulated to them before they meet. Here is a draft of this submission. Any feedback welcome, before we send it over to the Committee. Update: the submission ...
Justice Minister to Amend New Blasphemy Law
The Minister for Justice is proposing to amend his new blasphemy law by providing, as a defence, that a person accused of blasphemy can “prove that a reasonable person would find genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific, or academic value” in the blasphemous matter. He is not proposing to reduce the ...
In the News – Wed May 6
Sinister blasphemy law would play into the hands of religious nut cases (opinion piece by Stephen King in the Irish Examiner) A blasphemy clause that does not fit the Bill (opinion piece by Newton Emerson in the Irish Times) Pakistan lawyer threatens to kill Christian charged with blasphemy (news item ...
In the News – Tuesday May 5
Absurdity of blasphemy law revived by Ahern (opinion piece by Fintan O'Toole in the Irish Times)
In the News – Monday May 4
No place for blasphemy law (editorial in the Irish Times)
In the News – Saturday May 2
Green TD in blasphemy challenge (news item in The Times) Pakistan - Christian families accused of blasphemy (news item in the Daily Times)
In the News – Friday May 1
Position of blasphemy in our Constitution cannot be ignored (opinion piece by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern in the Irish Times) Churches not consulted about blasphemy law proposal (news item by Carol Coulter in the Irish Times) Crime of blasphemy dangerous and silly (opinion piece by John Waters in the Irish ...
In the News – Thursday April 30
For God's sake, why have blasphemous libel? (analysis by Carol Coulter in the Irish Times) Ahern denies ‘criminalising blasphemy’ (news item in the Irish Examiner) A blasphemy law for Ireland? (news item in New Humanist)
Blasphemy, God and the Irish Constitution
If you are charged with blasphemy in Ireland, you will be tried by a Judge who was obliged to swear a religious oath asking the Christian God to direct and sustain him or her, and who will be enforcing a Constitution that includes these clauses: The Preamble begins with the ...