Wednesday 16 May 2012

Law Banning Insulting Language is 'Strangling Free Speach'


Former shadow home secretary David Davis said Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act was having a ''terrible, chilling effect on democracy''.

Polling suggests almost two-thirds of MPs back Mr Davis, according to a campaign which has brought together religious and secular groups along with human rights and minority organisations.

Under the legislation, the use of ''insulting words or behaviour'' is outlawed, but opponents say there is too little clarity of what that includes, leading to spurious arrests.
One teenage boy was arrested for holding a ''Scientology is a dangerous cult'' placard and a student was held for telling a police officer his horse was ''gay'', they said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9268852/Law-banning-insulting-language-is-strangling-free-speech.html

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