Blasphemy Law Archives |

July 18, 2018 No Comments Michael Nugent

Atheist Ireland to meet Department of Justice today to discuss new blasphemy repeal bill

Atheist Ireland welcomes the published wording of the proposed amendment of the Constitution on around 25 October to repeal the offence of blasphemy. Atheist Ireland will be meeting this afternoon with officials in the Department of Justice, to clarify any technical or logistical questions that we have. We will then ...

June 23, 2018 No Comments John Hamill

Pakistan Blasphemy Laws In Ireland

One of the issues that Atheist Ireland has consistently cited while campaigning against the prohibition of blasphemy in Ireland, relates to our international obligations. Pakistan applies the death penalty for blasphemy, and has used verbatim language from Irish law when defending their position from international criticism. The distance between the ...

June 12, 2018 No Comments Michael Nugent

Atheist Ireland welcomes blasphemy referendum in October

Atheist Ireland welcomes the announcement that our decade-long campaign for a referendum on the blasphemy law has been successful. We will finally be able to vote in October to remove this anachronistic, silly, and dangerous clause from our constitution. The blasphemy ban is anachronistic, because we should be removing 1930s ...

September 27, 2017 4 Comments John Hamill

Referendum on blasphemy

Atheist Ireland welcomes the announcement today by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, that our campaign for a referendum on blasphemy has been successful. There will be a referendum on the blasphemy provision within the Irish Constitution during October of 2018 and Atheist Ireland will be campaigning strongly to reform, update and ...

June 4, 2017 No Comments John Hamill

The Danish Blasphemy Law has been abolished!

In a vote in the Danish parliament recently, their Blasphemy Law was abolished by a majority of 75 - 27. The proposal to abolish was made from the socialists in 'Enhedslisten', but was backed from both sides of the aisle. The Danish Humanist Society has had abolishment as a goal ...

May 9, 2017 No Comments Michael Nugent

Gardai decision to drop Stephen Fry blasphemy investigation creates an incentive to demonstrate outrage

The Gardai are reported to have decided to not proceed with the Stephen Fry blasphemy investigation. The reported reason for this decision is even more dangerous than a prosecution would have been. The Gardai have not denied that the comments were grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matter held ...

May 6, 2017 No Comments Michael Nugent

Stephen Fry blasphemy investigation also threatens RTE, Irish Times and Atheist Ireland

The police investigation into Stephen Fry for blasphemy also threatens RTE, the Irish Times and Atheist Ireland. The offence of blasphemy is committed not only by the person who first utters a blasphemous statement, but also by anybody who publishes it. RTE published the statement by Stephen Fry when they ...

May 6, 2017 No Comments Michael Nugent

International blasphemy expert Prof David Nash responds to police investigation of Stephen Fry

Professor David Nash of Oxford Brookes University is an international expert on the history and contemporary status of blasphemy laws throughout Europe and beyond. He has worked with Atheist Ireland at the United Nations and the Irish Constitutional Convention to seek abolition of the Irish blasphemy law. He has today ...

May 6, 2017 No Comments Michael Nugent

Atheist Ireland welcomes police investigation into Stephen Fry for blasphemy

Atheist Ireland welcomes the police investigation into Stephen Fry for blasphemy. It highlights a law that is silly, silencing, and dangerous. It is a silly law because it suggests that the creator of the universe needs the Oireachtas to protect its feelings. It is a silencing law because many Irish ...