Irish defamation law and EU human rights

1« Previous thread | Next thread »
- osmanthus
- Cave dwelling
- Pub Regular
- Fingerer of piglets
- offline
Irish defamation law and EU human rights
OP - August 22, 2009, 10:34 AM

This is good. It's about the blasphemy law that was recently passed in Ireland. A Swedish MP has filed a complaint with the EU on human rights grounds.

Irish defamation law and EU human rights

The new legislation has made blasphemous speech illegal, which means that a citizen of the European Union can be punished for making a comment that is determined to be offensive to a substantial number of followers of a religion.

The punishment of a fine, up to ?25,000, can hardly be consistent with human-rights obligations under the EU treaties, and I have therefore filed a complaint to the European Commission.

Mandatory practicing of a religion is something that most of us associate with times long gone. But this is exactly what a blasphemy law amounts to. A statement is blasphemous only within a religious context, and the systematic avoidance of blasphemy is part of religious practice. Thus, a law against blasphemy is an obligation to live your life according to the religious beliefs of others.

Defining blasphemy as speech that offends a substational number of religious followers gives the churches the power to gradually expand the application of the law. A not too far-fetched guess is that statements threatening the power of religious leaders will awaken the strongest reactions and therefore be considered the most offensive ones, resulting in punishment by the state.

Article 6.1 in the current EU treaty establishes that the Union "is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the member states."

Free speech is a human right, a fundamental freedom and a necessary condition for democracy. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights describes free speech as everyone's right to freedom of expression and adds: "This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers."

There is no obvious reason why free speech should not include the right to characterise religious views or symbols in a way that some might find offensive.

All of which I thoroughly agree with.

Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West.
- Kenan
- Cultist
- Pub Regular
- Hwee cap-toored eet fohr kay-ohss !!!
- offline
Re: Irish defamation law and EU human rights
Reply #1 - August 22, 2009, 11:00 AM

I could never really get my head around this entire "you must respect us" attitude. Surely real respect cannot be enforced, it can only be earned. Therefore somebody who is demanding respect is actually not asking for respect but rather for submission.

BTW am I glad that some MPs still have enough common sense to do the right thing and actually make a difference.
- ExHindu
- Member
- offline
Re: Irish defamation law and EU human rights
Reply #2 - August 28, 2009, 06:56 PM

Regardless of what you or I believe, religious people believe that respect should be demanded and that everyone should respect them, even though they themselves have little respect for people outside their faith, atheists, apostates, and gays.

Is this EU law against blasphemy real? And when did it come into effect?

Why exactly is the EU trying to send itself back into the stone age? Freedom to oppose and discriminate other peoples beliefs should be a liberty available to everyone.

This does not extend to birthrights such as race and nationality, as these are not beliefs like religion is. People high up in the EU must be clowns with peanut sized brains not to realise the difference between things people are born with, and things inside stupid peoples brains like religion.

Yes, religion is stupid. OMG now Im going to get fined for blasphemy.

We keep hearing about how Jack Straw or the French government have mentioned the veil and our doing so puts us in the same boat as them. How so? I want a ban on the burka, neqab and child veiling.

you can either defend women or you must defend Islam. You can’t defend both

- Maryam Namaze
- Saif Rahman
- Ex-Muslim
- Je suis Haram
- offline
Re: Irish defamation law and EU human rights
Reply #3 - August 28, 2009, 10:28 PM

Quote from: ExHindu on August 28, 2009, 06:56 PM
Is this EU law against blasphemy real? And when did it come into effect?

Yes. It was discussed in a previous thread

My Book
My Blog
- osmanthus
- Cave dwelling
- Pub Regular
- Fingerer of piglets
- offline
Re: Irish defamation law and EU human rights
Reply #4 - August 29, 2009, 10:17 AM

It's not an EU law. It's an Irish law.

Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West.
- brainyape
- Member
- offline
Re: Irish defamation law and EU human rights
Reply #5 - September 03, 2009, 09:48 AM

Lot of news articles for a Pat Condell video I guess.

"God is a geometer" - Plato

"God is addicted to arithmetic" - Sir James Jeans
1« Previous thread | Next thread »