23 Jun 2005 - Open Letter from Ken Livingstone about the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has written an open letter to Charles Clark, the Home Secretary, expressing his strong support for the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill.
The letter reads:
Dear Sir
The Bill to ban incitement to religious hatred, which will bring us into line with European Convention on Human Rights, is being debated in the House of Commons. As Mayor of the most diverse city in the world I have today written an open letter to the Home Secretary, Charles Clark to explain why we strongly support the Bill.
Those arguing against it confuse the rights to freedom of speech and artistic expression - which will remain as before - with a right to whip up hatred against people because of their religion - which will become unlawful. Works such as Jerry Springer - The Opera and Satanic Verses would not be banned.
It makes no sense that some religious groups such as Jews and Sikhs are currently protected from incitement to hatred under race relations laws, whereas members of other religions, such as Muslims and Christians, are not. Failure to update the law will leave a dangerous loophole, already being exploited by the extreme right.
Recent figures by the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of January showed 50 per cent of religiously aggravated offences were directed against Muslims.
Last year a report by the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia concluded that: "The cumulative effect of Islamophobia's various features is that Muslims are made to feel that they do not truly belong here - they feel that they are not truly accepted, let alone welcomed, as full members of British society. On the contrary, they are seen as 'an enemy within' or 'a fifth column' and they feel that they are under constant siege."
The criminalisation of incitement to racial hatred in 1986 did not put artists, authors and comedians out of work nor prevent them from using their media to tackle controversial issues relating to race and culture.
Freedom of speech must be upheld. But not a freedom to urge people to kill Jews or Sikhs or Muslims.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
Former cabinet minister Frank Dobson has also expressed his support for the Bill in a recent article in the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1509183,00.html
The letter reads:
Dear Sir
The Bill to ban incitement to religious hatred, which will bring us into line with European Convention on Human Rights, is being debated in the House of Commons. As Mayor of the most diverse city in the world I have today written an open letter to the Home Secretary, Charles Clark to explain why we strongly support the Bill.
Those arguing against it confuse the rights to freedom of speech and artistic expression - which will remain as before - with a right to whip up hatred against people because of their religion - which will become unlawful. Works such as Jerry Springer - The Opera and Satanic Verses would not be banned.
It makes no sense that some religious groups such as Jews and Sikhs are currently protected from incitement to hatred under race relations laws, whereas members of other religions, such as Muslims and Christians, are not. Failure to update the law will leave a dangerous loophole, already being exploited by the extreme right.
Recent figures by the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of January showed 50 per cent of religiously aggravated offences were directed against Muslims.
Last year a report by the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia concluded that: "The cumulative effect of Islamophobia's various features is that Muslims are made to feel that they do not truly belong here - they feel that they are not truly accepted, let alone welcomed, as full members of British society. On the contrary, they are seen as 'an enemy within' or 'a fifth column' and they feel that they are under constant siege."
The criminalisation of incitement to racial hatred in 1986 did not put artists, authors and comedians out of work nor prevent them from using their media to tackle controversial issues relating to race and culture.
Freedom of speech must be upheld. But not a freedom to urge people to kill Jews or Sikhs or Muslims.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
Former cabinet minister Frank Dobson has also expressed his support for the Bill in a recent article in the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1509183,00.html