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By the way,
I've just invented blasphemy
Thought you'd like a bit of fun |
A campaigning atheist who left leaflets mocking Jesus Christ, the
Pope and the Koran in the prayer room of an international airport has
gone on trial charged with religious harassment.
The materials left by Harry Taylor at Liverpool's John Lennon airport
included one image showed a smiling Christ on the cross next to an
advert for a brand of no nails glue. In another, Islamic suicide
bombers at the gates of paradise are told: Stop, stop, we've run out
of virgins.
A further cartoon showed two Muslims holding a placard demanding
equality with the caption: Not for women or gays, obviously.
Taylor, a self-styled philosophy tutor, denied bearing a grudge
against people of faith and said he was only trying to convert
believers to atheism. He said: The airport is named after John Lennon
and his views on religion were pretty much the same as mine. I thought
that it was an insult to his memory to have a prayer room in the
airport.
The leaflets were discovered by Nicky Lees, the airport chaplain, who
told the court she felt deeply offended and insulted by their
contents. [But didn't mention feeling
threatened].
Outlining the case against Taylor, prosecutor Neville Biddle said
that he had gone beyond freedom of expression by leaving the
insulting, threatening and abusive images in a room used for
worship. He said: Of course people have a right to speak freely and
have a right to insult people. It is one of the most important rights we
have and it must be jealously guarded...BUT...it is a right not
without some prescription. Mr Taylor exceeded that right.
The defendant from Salford, Greater Manchester is charged with three
counts of religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress under the
Crime and Disorder Act. The alleged offences took place on separate
dates in November and December 2008.
Taylor denied the charges and said it was preposterous to
suggest that people could be incited to violence by the cartoons. He
said: I am not hostile to religious people but I am hostile to
religion. He told the court that he adapted cartoons cut out of
newspaper and magazines like Private Eye and added captions of his own.
The images shown to the jury included a drawing of the Pope with a
condom on his finger, and a picture of a woman kneeling in front of a
Catholic priest captioned with a crude pun. In another image sausages
were were labelled as The Koran.
The trial continues.
Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
Based on
article from
opsi.gov.uk
29A Meaning of “religious hatred”
In this Part “religious hatred” means hatred against a group of persons
defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief.
Acts intended to stir up religious hatred
29B Use of words or behaviour or display of
written material
(1) A person who uses threatening words or
behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is
guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious
hatred.
29C Publishing or distributing written
material
(1) A person who publishes or distributes
written material which is threatening is guilty of an offence if he
intends thereby to stir up religious hatred.
29J Protection of freedom of expression
Nothing in this Part shall be read or given effect in a way which
prohibits or restricts discussion, criticism or expressions of
antipathy, dislike, ridicule, insult or abuse of particular religions or
the beliefs or practices of their adherents, or of any other belief
system or the beliefs or practices of its adherents, or proselytising or
urging adherents of a different religion or belief system to cease
practising their religion or belief system.
Update:
A Disgraceful Verdict
5th March 2010. Based on
article
from
liverpooldailypost.co.uk
The jury of ten women and two men, at Liverpool Crown Court took just
15 minutes to find Harry Taylor guilt of religiously aggravated
intentional harassment, alarm or distress after viewing the
grossly abusive and insulting images in court.
Harry Taylor is now on bail awaiting sentencing on 23 April.
Religiously aggravated offences carry a potential seven-year prison
term.
The National Secular Society have supported Taylor. They claim that
new laws dealing with religiously aggravated offences amount to a
blasphemy law in another guise.
Terry Sanderson, president of the society, said:
This is a disgraceful verdict, but an inevitable
one under this pernicious law. It seems incredible in the 21st Century
that you might be sent to prison because someone is 'offended' by your
views on their religion . . . Mr Taylor struck me as slightly eccentric
and he acted in a provocative way, challenging the necessity for the
prayer room. He didn't cause any damage and he didn't harm anything, nor
was he threatening or abusive. Yet he might still end up behind bars
because some Christian has decided they are offended.
In a multicultural society, none of us should
have the legal right not to be offended. This law needs to be
re-examined urgently.
