Archbishop speaks out on blasphemy laws

Jan 30 2008 by Tomos Livingstone, Western Mail

THERE is no real case for retaining Britain’s ancient blasphemy laws, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said last night – but warned against a total removal of legal protection for religious believers.

A consultation on changing the law was launched by the Ministry of Justice this month, in the wake of the collapse of a High Court case against the BBC over Jerry Springer: the Opera.

Many MPs feel the blasphemy laws should go – particularly with the introduction of new offences of inciting religious hatred.

Dr Williams, giving the James Callaghan Memorial lecture, said, “Since the old offence of blasphemy … no longer works effectively, there is no real case for its retention.

“How adequately the new laws will meet the case remains to be seen; I should only want to suggest the relative power and political access of a group or person laying charges under this legislation might well be a factor in determining what is rightly actionable.”

The liberal argument used by artists and writers that a restriction on what they can say or write on religious matters constitutes an attack on free speech is flawed, Dr Williams said, as it ignored the “hurt their actions may cause”.

A tougher version of the new religious hatred laws was defeated by MPs 18 months ago, after comedians such as Rowan Atkinson raised the free speech argument.

But critics should have the “imagination” to understand that some people see the world differently, he said.