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New law could make gay jokes
illegal
Toby Helm
London
Telegraph
Thursday November 8, 2007
The right to crack jokes or be rude about homosexuals could
fall victim to new government laws to stamp out "homophobic"
behaviour, Rowan Atkinson, the Blackadder star warned yesterday.
Atkinson, who mounted a successful campaign in 2004 to water
down legislation aimed at criminalising expressions of religious
hatred, has returned to the fray to defend the art of gay leg-pulling.
His concern is that Labour ministers are so obsessed with creating
laws to stop people being rude about each other that they are
putting in danger the right to free speech and, equally dear to
his heart, the comedian's craft.
In a letter to a newspaper he accused ministers of filling their
legislative programme with measures that have "serious implications
for freedom of speech, humour and creative expression".
(Article continues below)
Atkinson was referring to measures in the Criminal Justice Bill,
currently passing through Parliament, which could mean people
who stir up hatred against homosexuals being put in prison for
up to seven years.
He said the Government measures, which could be expanded to cover
hatred against disabled or transgendered people, seemed to be
"infinitely extendable".
Full
article here.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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