Archbishop wants ‘blasphemous’ item removed
Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin has called on RTE to immediately remove a television clip which he says it is offensive, outrageous, and blasphemous. He was complaining about RTE’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Show, which included a mock news review by Waterford Whispers News. The mock news review reported that a ...
Pakistan still persecuting religious minorities
Pakistan is still persecuting atheists and religious minorities with blasphemy charges, often trumped up because of personal disputes, which can result in life imprisonment or the death penalty. Here are two current examples: an illiterate Christian couple facing death by hanging for allegedly sending a text message, whose appeal has ...
Ireland no longer has a blasphemy law
We start the new decade with the good news that Ireland no longer has the medieval crime of blasphemy in our laws. Over the Christmas period, President Michael D Higgins signed the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019, and it has accordingly become law. Atheist Ireland thanks the ...
Freedom of Thought Report 2019 highlights blasphemy laws
It is important that Ireland completes the process of removing the crime of blasphemy from our laws as well as our constitution. The Bill designed to do this is currently at the Office of the Attorney General for formal drafting. A report published today on the human rights of non-religious ...
Speech in Poland – Review of the Campaign Against the Irish Blasphemy Law
Michael Nugent gave this speech today, Friday 29 March 2019, at the Days of Atheism Conference in Warsaw, Poland. When Atheist Ireland was founded ten years ago, our first task was simply to normalise the use of the words atheism and secularism in public debate. We have come a long ...
Blasphemy Repeal Bill 2019 forwarded to Attorney General for formal drafting
The Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan, has advised Atheist Ireland that the Bill designed to give legal effect to the outcome of last year’s blasphemy referendum has been forwarded from the Department of Justice to the Office of the Attorney General for formal Drafting. It is called the Repeal of ...
Atheist Ireland welcomes positive exit poll figures on blasphemy referendum
Exit polls suggest that today’s Yes vote might be between 69% (Irish Times exit poll) and 71% (RTE exit poll). We must remember that these are only exit polls, and not the official result of the vote, which we will not know until tomorrow or Sunday. Whatever the actual result, ...
Ronan Mullen voted against the blasphemy law in 2009, despite now denying that he did so
Senator Ronan Mullen voted against the Irish blasphemy law in 2009, despite denying that he did so on Prime Time yesterday. He opposed the blasphemy law because it did not explicitly allow religious people to blaspheme against matters held sacred by other religions. He added: ‘I say this as someone ...
How the Islamic States at the United Nations use the Irish blasphemy law to justify their own laws
One of the arguments that Atheist Ireland has made, in support of removing the Irish blasphemy law, is that repressive regimes have used our law to politically justify their use of blasphemy laws, and to attempt to spread blasphemy laws around the world. Here is the most significant example of ...
Public meeting on Vote Yes to Remove the Blasphemy Law Cork
Public Meeting to Vote Yes to Remove the Blasphemy Law Cork When: 20th of October at 3pm Where Metropole Hotel Cork Public Meeting in Cork on Vote Yes to Remove the Blasphemy Law. Details of speakers to follow. Find this event on facebook and meetup. The Irish Constitution, written in ...