Esprit vif

Every new year comes with its changes. In Ireland, 2010 starts with a strange law : blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. The site blasphemy.ie learn us that the new law defines blasphemy 'as publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted'.

Is Ireland a single case in Europe ? Unfortunately not. Blasphemy is also an offence in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Netherlands and San Marino. And according to the Venice Commission [0], the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters, ‘Religious insult’ is a criminal offence in 21 european countries : Andorra, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. Not all european countries, but many !

The United Kingdom abolished its laws in England and Wales against blasphemy in 2008 (the last prosecution for blasphemy in Britain took place in 1921). In Denmark, the blasphemy law has not been used since 1938, as we remember with the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons. The last successful conviction in the Netherlands was in the early 1960s... On the contrary, this kind of law was used recently in Finland, Germany, Greece and Malta.

A new blasphemy law... it sounds strange ! Are Irish people still living in the 19th centrury ? How can blasphemy law deal with the freedom of speech ? Isn't it obvious that it is an anachronism in an european democracy ?

Now you know. If you come sometimes in Irelande to see sheeps or dolmens, don't even think criticizing Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Jehovah, Krishna, Raël, Guru Nanak Dev, Zeus, Ron Hubbard, and their teachings, or you will be considered as a criminal.