Tags: Freedom of Expression
The Scottish hate crime bill is a threat to free and open debate
Posted: Mon, 21 Sep 2020 by Stephen Evans
As ministers consider changing Scotland's hate crime bill to address free expression concerns, Stephen Evans says their insistence to date that the bill won't undermine legitimate debate has been unconvincing. Read More »
The continued effort to silence Charlie Hebdo is shameful
Posted: Fri, 18 Sep 2020 by Chris Sloggett
It is outrageous to try to force this small magazine to give the 2015 killers what they wanted, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
We all need the freedom to offend – including the most marginalised
Posted: Thu, 06 Aug 2020 by Megan Manson
Scotland's new hate crime bill could easily be weaponised to silence any speech deemed offensive. This will disempower, rather than protect, society's most vulnerable, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Does Scotland’s justice minister realise the reach of his own hate crime bill?
Posted: Tue, 16 Jun 2020 by Chris Sloggett
Humza Yousaf has claimed a bill he's proposing isn't a threat to free speech because it sets a high threshold for criminality. But his careless words suggest he isn't taking concerns seriously, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Scotland’s new hate speech law will be too censorious
Posted: Thu, 07 May 2020 by Chris Sloggett
A new offence of 'stirring up hatred' on religious grounds is too restrictive of free speech, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Trevor Phillips’s suspension is another blow to robust public debate
Posted: Wed, 11 Mar 2020 by Chris Sloggett
You don't need to agree with everything Trevor Phillips has said about Muslims or Islam to be concerned at the attempt to render his ideas beyond the pale, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Don’t let religious advocates define the boundaries of acceptable thought
Posted: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 by Chris Sloggett
A BBC debate on defining 'Islamophobia' was a reminder of the risks of giving too much ground to religious identity politics and empowering 'community groups' to police public discussion, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Five years after the Charlie Hebdo murders, free expression on religion still needs promoting
Posted: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 by Chris Sloggett
Half a decade after the Islamist attack on cartoonists in France, Chris Sloggett says we owe it to the victims and those left behind to reject blasphemy taboos. Read More »
Election 2019: Secularism and the parties of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Posted: Wed, 04 Dec 2019 by Megan Manson
Megan Manson continues our election analysis of parties' policies on secularist issues. This time she examines the policies of the major parties of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Read More »
Election 2019: Where do the major parties stand on secularist issues?
Posted: Thu, 28 Nov 2019 by Megan Manson
Megan Manson studies the main UK-wide parties' election manifestos – and says religion will continue to be a dividing force in UK politics during the next parliament. Read More »
Don’t let religious sectarianism tear our democracy apart
Posted: Thu, 14 Nov 2019 by Chris Sloggett
Chris Sloggett says the major parties in the current election campaign are indulging Britain's division into religious tribes – and we should urgently ask how we can move past this. Read More »
Election 2019: pledges that should be in the parties’ manifestos
Posted: Tue, 05 Nov 2019 by Stephen Evans
As the UK's political parties consider their manifestos for the upcoming election, Stephen Evans outlines a series of secularist pledges they should include to advance freedom, fairness and equal citizenship. Read More »
The chief rabbi has made an anti-democratic attempt to shut down criticism
Posted: Wed, 18 Sep 2019 by Chris Sloggett
The chief rabbi has asked secularists to stop campaigning against practices such as faith schools and infant circumcision. His apparently polite request should be firmly rejected, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Islam, like any other religion, must be fair game for criticism
Posted: Thu, 22 Aug 2019 by Stephen Evans
The disqualification of a GCSE student who criticised halal meat is a reminder of the need to resist censorious offence-taking on Islam and the normalisation of the idea of 'Islamophobia', says Stephen Evans. Read More »
The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry
Posted: Thu, 22 Aug 2019 by Chris Sloggett
Adopting a proposed definition of 'Islamophobia' would restrict legitimate speech on Islam and embed a failing approach to anti-Muslim hate. This is the NSS's submission to a series of essays criticising the definition. Read More »
Why won’t the government condemn the existence of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws?
Posted: Thu, 18 Jul 2019 by Chris Sloggett
Ministers keep condemning the "misuse" of Pakistan's blasphemy laws in response to parliamentary questions. But the 'misuse' of indefensible laws isn't the issue – the existence of them is, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
Blasphemy culture mustn’t undermine freedom of the press
Posted: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 by Chris Sloggett
The press regulator is consulting on guidelines which will inform the way stories about Islam and Muslims are reported. It must not endorse taboos which shut down debate and harm social cohesion, says Chris Sloggett. Read More »
The advertising regulator is pandering to religious offence-taking
Posted: Thu, 04 Apr 2019 by Chris Sloggett
As a regulator issues patronising advice to advertisers in the run-up to Easter, Chris Sloggett takes a look at its guidance on religious offence – and finds a deep and damaging aversion to freedom of expression. Read More »
The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry
Posted: Wed, 28 Nov 2018 by Chris Sloggett
A parliamentary group's proposal that the government define 'Islamophobia' is a misguided power grab, says Chris Sloggett. If we want to end anti-Muslim bigotry, we should stop telling people what to think about Islam. Read More »
How secularism protects people who have religious faith
Posted: Wed, 14 Nov 2018 by Megan Manson
For Interfaith Week 2018, campaigns officer Megan Manson explains how the National Secular Society's work protects those who are religious as well as those who are not.
One of the most common misconceptions about the National Secular Society is that we are... Read More »
European ruling that ‘religious feelings’ trump free speech is a dangerous development
Posted: Fri, 26 Oct 2018 by Stephen Evans
Just as Irish citizens strike a blow for the right to freedom of expression, the European Court has fundamentally undermined it, argues Stephen Evans.
Irish voters decided this week to remove the 'crime' of blasphemy from its constitution. The majority of citizens,... Read More »
We must resist both religious hatred and its weaponisation
Posted: Thu, 18 Oct 2018 by Alastair Lichten
After a sharp rise in reported crimes in which religious hatred was a factor, Alastair Lichten says liberal democracies should challenge hatred and bigotry while resisting attempts to silence ideas.
According to new figures from the Home Office there were 94,098... Read More »
Why we must reclaim religious freedom
Posted: Wed, 12 Sep 2018 by National Secular Society
There is an urgent case for resisting those who claim the mantle of 'religious freedom' without regard for others' rights and freedoms. Here's why our Secularism 2019 conference will be held under the tagline 'reclaiming religious freedom'.
"Everyone has the... Read More »
Universities must commit to free expression – and they should stop hiring religious chaplains
Posted: Thu, 02 Aug 2018 by Chris Sloggett
A chaplain should not have been sacked for criticising Pride off campus, says Chris Sloggett. But universities can strike a blow for free speech and critical enquiry if they stop appointing religious representatives.
It is both impossible and undesirable to... Read More »
Ten years on from the abolition of blasphemy, free speech still needs defending
Posted: Wed, 11 Jul 2018 by Stephen Evans
Marking ten years since the criminal offence of blasphemy was abolished in England and Wales, Stephen Evans argues that the freedom to speak critically about beliefs others hold sacred is far from assured.
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the abolition... Read More »
