Leicester Secular Society Policy on the Burning of Religious Texts adopted at the AGM on 19 November 2023
Blasphemy codes apply only to those who voluntarily submit to them. In a Liberal Democracy there can be no legal right not to be offended. Equating any desecration of religious books and symbols with incitement to violence imposes blasphemy laws by stealth limiting free expression. Speech and expression must be viewed in context. It is right for societies to combat intolerance and hatred. Language that might be regarded as blasphemy or desecration of religious texts, used to deliberately provoke hatred and violence, needs to be restricted. However, blanket bans silence legitimate expression and dissent. In democratic societies free expression and freedom of religion are both necessary to counter intolerance. Freedom to question, criticise, mock and even insult religion is every bit as essential as the freedom to practise it.