Parliament Website

Freedom Of Speech And The Repeal Of The Laws On Blasphemy

EDM number 445 in 2004-05, proposed by Evan Harris on 21/12/2004.

That this House recognises the right to peaceful protest about matters which are considered offensive, upsetting and insulting; further recognises the right of journalists, playwrights, novelists and others to conduct their business within the law; condemns the violence of the protests outside the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 18th December; regrets the decision of the theatre to cancel the play Bezhti on the grounds of safety to staff and public; calls on the Government and the police to ensure that there is no repetition of this violation of freedom of expression; further calls on the Government to recognise the need to communicate to religious leaders and their followers that there are no plans to create new blasphemy offences and recognises that such a message would be strengthened by the repeal of the existing law on blasphemy; and believes that such a repeal would help to ensure that freedom of expression is safeguarded and that there is no discrimination in respect of protection from criticism of parody of Christianity over other faiths.

This motion has been signed by a total of 27 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Evan Harris21/12/2004Oxford West & AbingdonLiberal DemocratProposed
Alice Mahon21/12/2004HalifaxLabourSigned
Paul Holmes10/01/2005ChesterfieldLiberal DemocratSigned
Lynne Jones10/01/2005Birmingham, Selly OakLabourSigned
Harold Best10/01/2005Leeds North WestLabourSigned
Rudi Vis10/01/2005Finchley & Golders GreenLabourSigned
David Wilshire10/01/2005SpelthorneConservativeSigned
Derek Wyatt11/01/2005Sittingbourne & SheppeyLabourSigned
Simon Hughes12/01/2005North Southwark & BermondseyLiberal DemocratSigned
Glenda Jackson12/01/2005Hampstead & HighgateLabourSigned
Ann Cryer12/01/2005KeighleyLabourSigned
Graham Stringer12/01/2005Manchester, BlackleyLabourSigned
Desmond Turner12/01/2005Brighton, KemptownLabourSigned
Richard Burden13/01/2005Birmingham, NorthfieldLabourSigned
John Bercow13/01/2005BuckinghamConservativeSigned
John Cryer13/01/2005HornchurchLabourSigned
Brian Sedgemore17/01/2005Hackney South & ShoreditchLabourSigned
Karen Buck17/01/2005Regent's Park and Kensington NorthLabourSigned
Jenny Tonge17/01/2005Richmond ParkLiberal DemocratSigned
Bill Etherington18/01/2005Sunderland NorthLabourSigned
Nigel Jones19/01/2005CheltenhamLiberal DemocratSigned
Andy Reed20/01/2005LoughboroughLabour Co-operativeSigned
Alan Simpson24/01/2005Nottingham SouthLabourSigned
Matthew Taylor24/01/2005Truro & St AustellLiberal DemocratSigned
Tom Brake10/02/2005Carshalton & WallingtonLiberal DemocratSigned
Anne Campbell28/02/2005CambridgeLabourSigned
David Lepper05/04/2005Brighton, PavilionLabour Co-operativeSigned

Download raw data as csv or xml.