25 Grand Fine for Blasphemy

MrMatisse · 04-01-2010 09:03PM #1

Hi all,
As many of you know blasphemy is now a criminal offence in Ireland carrying a fine of 25k.:eek:

For more info see www.blasphemy.ie.

This is a ridiculous piece of legislation. It has no place in a modern country.

If your unhappy with this here is a pre written email for all the lazy

folk out there which you can send to your local TD to get it repealed.

Dear { TD's Name},
I am writing in relation to Minister Aherns blasphemy law which recently came into affect. I am very unhappy with this piece of legislation. I feel that medieval religious laws have no place in a modern secular republic, where the criminal law should protect people and not ideas.

I hope that this piece of legislation can be reviewed as soon as possible. In addition to it being centuries out of date and inappropriate, it only invites people to make a nuisance of themselves in order to challenge it. Hopefully the { Political Party} can give some leadership on this issue.

Yours Faithfully,

Agricola · 04-01-2010 09:05PM

jesus christ 25k!

Gummy Panda · 04-01-2010 09:06PM

Could be worse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeq2Utm0nU

MrMatisse · 04-01-2010 09:07PM

I hope you have deep pockets!:D

Dartz · 04-01-2010 09:07PM

Well, it was a nice piece of halibut.

04-01-2010 09:11PM

jesus titty f**kin christ thats a lot

Guy:Incognito · 04-01-2010 09:12PM

Meh, I bet it never becomes an issue. It'll be used to shut up people on massive anti church rants in the media.

I still predict (it may already have happened in the other thread) that RTDH will declare this another step towards a police state and say we will all end up beign fined 25l for saying "jesus christ" on the street only for it never to be mentioned again and just be another piece of legislation that sits silently on the books.

Corkfeen · 04-01-2010 09:13PM

Doubt it will ever get enforced. But just to test its boundaries I'll draw a badly drawn picture of muhammad

http://www.cagle.com/news/muhammad/images/849-MuhammadDrawing.gif

parsi · 04-01-2010 09:15PM

Corkfeen wrote: »

Doubt it will ever get enforced. But just to test its boundaries I'll draw a badly drawn picture of muhammad

I expect the fine for that would be death by jihadist

phlegms · 04-01-2010 09:16PM

But racism is still cool right?

Right!?

Mike 1972 · 04-01-2010 09:20PM

Get your Cradle of Filth T-shirts here.....................

phlegms wrote: »

But racism is still cool right?

Relevence to thread ?????????????????

senordingdong · 04-01-2010 09:21PM

So now it's illeagal to insult another persons religion/beliefe system?

Is that right?

phasers · 04-01-2010 09:22PM

Jesus is lame

:cool:

me-skywalker · 04-01-2010 09:24PM

Woah... really? So if I turn up at the district courthouse and tell the judge that the Pope is a cnut ill get fined €25k?? hmmm im almost tempted... Should get a campaign to test teh waters with this one...

Riddle101 · 04-01-2010 09:33PM

I agree with the OP it is a ridiculous piece of legistration. It's things like this that got Monty Python's The Life Of Brian banned when it first came out.

Takk · 04-01-2010 09:35PM

From blasphemy.ie:

Dermot Ahern, Irish Minister for Justice, introducing his blasphemy law at an Oireachtas Justice Committee meeting, 2009, and referring to comments made about him personally:

They are blasphemous.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte replied:

Given the Minister’s self-image, it could very well be that we are blaspheming

and Minister Ahern replied:

Deputy Rabbitte says that I am close to the baby Jesus, I am so pure.

So here we have an Irish Justice Minister joking about himself being blasphemed, at a parliamentary Justice Committee discussing his own blasphemy law, that could make his own jokes illegal.

Micheal Martin, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, opposing attempts by Islamic States to make defamation of religion a crime at UN level, 2009:

We believe that the concept of defamation of religion is not consistent with the promotion and protection of human rights. It can be used to justify arbitrary limitations on, or the denial of, freedom of expression. Indeed, Ireland considers that freedom of expression is a key and inherent element in the manifestation of freedom of thought and conscience and as such is complementary to freedom of religion or belief.

Just months after Minister Martin made this comment, his colleague Dermot Ahern introduced Ireland’s new blasphemy law.

randomchild · 04-01-2010 09:37PM

senordingdong wrote: »

So now it's illeagal to insult another persons religion/beliefe system?

Is that right?

People need to start brushing up on their constitutional law, its alway been a crime since 1937.

Run_to_da_hills · 04-01-2010 09:38PM

senordingdong wrote: »

So now it's illeagal to insult another persons religion/beliefe system?

Is that right?

Yes and also its an attack on our freedom of speech.

Im surprised someone is not making up T Shirts for this to wear outside the Dail to see if they will enforce it.

amen · 04-01-2010 09:39PM

although the legislation allows for artistic or public discussion of the religious items that may be termed blasphemy everyone seems to be thinking of the mainstream religions that law may also apply to other groupings such as the "Jedi" etc

could be loads of fun with this one

Mike 1972 · 04-01-2010 09:44PM

randomchild wrote: »

People need to start brushing up on their constitutional law, its alway been a crime since 1937.

Only in the sense and to the extent that the state can be held liable for failing to ensure that mothers are not compelled by economic necessity to take up paid employment to the detriment of their duties at home.

senordingdong · 04-01-2010 10:00PM

randomchild wrote: »

People need to start brushing up on their constitutional law, its alway been a crime since 1937.

Well....that's what I thought.
So this doesn't make much sense to me.

JangoFett · 04-01-2010 10:21PM

This law, if true that they can actually fine you 25 grand, is an embarrassment to Ireland.
I might go look for something better....America??

Seloth · 04-01-2010 10:24PM

I was under the impression that these laws merely placed other religions into the same context as the catholic one in our constitution,merely updating it from like 1937 or somthing.

In all fairness were not about to be like many extremist Muslim governments are we.

lugha · 04-01-2010 10:27PM

Isn't the whole malarkey of legislation for blasphemy necessary because it's in the constitution but not in the law? Don't know why they didn't opt for the abortion solution, i.e. perpetually postpone enacting any legislation.

4leto · 04-01-2010 10:44PM

Revenue clap their hands in glee
I count at least 200 grand here and we are only on page 2
Jesus thats a lot

randomchild · 04-01-2010 10:45PM

Basically its in the constitution, but it only says its a crime and thats it. Nothing about what the punishment is, or any details of the crime itself (i.e is intention needed? what defenses are available? does insulting Rastafarians count?).

A few years ago someone attempted a private prosecution using this part of the constitution, the courts rightly said that it would be impossible and the legislature would need to pass a bill for such an act to occur. So instead of having a big expensive referendum on the matter, we have this, a law that is nigh on uneforceable, rendering the entire topic moot, but good news for a media stuck with nothing but leftovers after Christmas.

galwayrush · 04-01-2010 10:48PM

F *** you Jedi you C ***.

JangoFett · 04-01-2010 10:49PM

I still think it's offensive even is it is unenforcable. I'm an athiest and I think having a LAW about FICTIONAL CHARACTERS is insane. It's like if the government suddenly said that you could get in trouble or be fined for saying Tony the Tiger is a c unt

OutlawPete · 04-01-2010 10:55PM

Proper order too, no symptahy for them - anyone caught using Springsteen's name in vain deserves the 25k fine.

Mike 1972 · 04-01-2010 10:57PM

Even if there was a constitutional necessity to have such a law (and there probably isint given that weve managed the last 70+ years without it) where did they come up with the figure of twenty five grand for an appropriate level of punishment -as opposed to say two shillings and sixpence ?

thomond2006 · 04-01-2010 10:59PM

Agricola wrote: »

jesus christ 25k!

You used the holy name in vain!!!!!

BLASPHEMY!!

:pac::pac:

25 Grand Fine for Blasphemy

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