News and Opinion

The Society's Summer Programme can now be downloaded.  

  Leicester Secular Society condemn the police raid on the Quaker Meeting House (27/3/25) which is a direct result of stricter protest laws that remove virtually all routes to challenge the status quo. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 have gone too far in criminalising many forms of protest and allowing the police to halt actions simply deemed to be disruptive. These need to be repealed or amended to remove these restrictions on freedom of expression. One of the principal aims of Leicester Secular Society is "Defending rationalism and free speech. We believe people should be free to express and publish their beliefs, however controversial, without fear of prosecution, persecution, or physical harm, as long as they accord the same rights to others." Indeed Leicester Secular Hall was established to enable radical speakers to set out their ideas. Kropotkin and H.M. Hyndman, the Marxist founder of the Social Democratic Federation...

The Freethinker Magazine is promoting a new Freethought History Webinar series.  These free webinars, hosted by Daniel James Sharp, editor of The Freethinker, will feature expert guest speakers discussing aspects of freethought history and its enduring relevance. Viewers will have a chance to ask them your questions at the end of the talks. The webinars will also be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel.  The next webinar, 'Freethought and Evolution—and Darwinian Erasure? With Eoin Carter', will takes place on 15 April at 7 pm UK time via Zoom. You can register directly here and find out more about the webinar (and the series in general) here. freethinker.co.uk FB: freethinkermag editor@freethinker.co.uk Visit the free digital archive of the Freethinker, 1881-2014  

 The National Secular Society, in partnership with Leicester Secular Society (LSS), will hold a panel discussion this summer to explore how to end caste discrimination in the UK. Caste systems are rooted in religious and cultural beliefs and are upheld in some south asian communities. Research has found evidence of caste discrimination and harassment in employment, education and in the provision of services. There are an estimated 50,000 – 200,000 people in the UK who are regarded by some as 'low caste' (sometimes known as 'dalits') and are at risk of caste discrimination. But unlike discrimination based on race, sex, sexuality or religion or belief, caste discrimination is not explicitly prohibited in UK law. The discussion will bring together campaigners and experts to explain how caste discrimination and prejudice affect the lives of people in the UK, and why laws against caste discrimination have been opposed by some religious groups. Several MPs have r...

A report from Muslim Women's Network UK has found that some religious 'community leaders' act as "a barrier" to women trying to enter local politics and that caste discrimination together with  sectarian bigotry obstruct women, in particular from Muslim communities, from being elected as local councillors and retaining their seats. Modified image by Aurel Cham from Pixabay

 Leicester Secular Society supports this call by Humanists UK which recommends the Government reinstates the requirement for Ofsted to inspect how schools contribute to community cohesion, a requirement that was removed in 2011.    Image by kp yamu Jayanath from Pixabay

Humanists International have launched the 2024 Key Countries edition of the Freedom of Thought Report which you can download from their website . This year they have returned to the theme of “blasphemy” which continues to loom heavily over the lives of non-religious and religious people alike in many parts of the world.  

Leicester Secular Society supports the call by the National Secular Society to ensure that the schools bill does not become "a vehicle for greater religious discrimination and segregation"   Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay

The Society's Spring Programme can now be downloaded.