‘Blasphemous’ protest is not a crime, humanists tell human rights committee – Humanists UK
Humanists UK has warned the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights that accusations of ‘blasphemy’ must not be used to suppress peaceful protest. In its response to the Committee’s inquiry into the role of human rights in security, safety and protest, Humanists UK called for blasphemy-specific guidance for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales to protect subjectively offensive but lawful expression from being criminalised, while threats, harassment, and incitement to violence are properly investigated and sanctioned. Humanists UK said this concern sits within a broader erosion of protest rights in recent years. Case studies In its evidence, Humanists UK cited a series of recent blasphemy-related incidents that it said demonstrated how public authorities have too often treated alleged religious offence as a crime, while failing to protect those targeted by intimidation, threats and even violence. Examples included the case of Hamit Coskun, who was prosecuted after burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in protest against the Turkish government, and had his conviction overturned on appeal and upheld …
