Rätten att kritisera

I question also the ease with which the existing race hatred legislation is going to be extended simply by the scoring out of the word "racial" and the insertion of "racial or religious hatred" as if race and religion are very similar ideas and we can just bundle them together in one big lump. When it seems clear to me and to most people that race and religion are fundamentally different concepts, requiring completely different treatment under the law. To criticise people for their race is manifestly irrational but to criticise their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticise ideas — any ideas — even if they are sincerely held beliefs — is one of the fundamental freedoms of society and a law which attempts to say you can criticise or ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed. It promotes the idea that there should be a right not to be offended, when in my view, the right to offend is far more important than any right not to be offended, simply because one represents openness, the other represents oppression.

Kunde något resonemang vara mer dagsaktuellt? Men detta sades för nästan exakt tio år sedan. Rowan Atkinson (just han) talade inför överhuset med anledning av lagförslaget Racial and Religious Hatred Act (som gick igenom).

Det var svårt att hitta en lagom lång snutt att citera, talet är högst läsvärt i sin helhet. Och, som sagt, så dagsaktuellt det kan bli — tyvärr.

National Secular Society: Rowan Atkinson Speaks to the Lords
RationalWiki: Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006