News and Opinion

(This is NOT a Secular Society event but may be of interest.)    In the last year how have you responded to flags in Leicester, or in your city, town or village? You are invited to join with others, and discuss your feelings and thoughts about the politics of our flag times, from the Far Right to the Green Party. You are warmly invited to take part in this conference/seminar 9:30am-1pm Saturday 26th September. Please register by emailing  abolton2@live.com  . Our venue in near Leicester City Centre with good parking options nearby. Full details will be given to all those who register.  We are holding this event just a few day after the United Nation International Day of Peace. Its theme for 2026 is “Invest in Peace For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.” Helen Dexter , PhD, International Relations/Politics, University of Leicester Richard Johnson , PhD, retired professor of history/culture, Nottingham Trent, Chair Leicester CND Andrew Bolton , PhD,...

Our speaker on 7th June  Paul ‘Polyp’ Fitzgerald appealed, from those who can afford to do so, for funding for a richly (and often cheekily) illustrated biographical romp through the extraordinary history, lives, and radical ideas of some of the world’s wildest freethinkers, humanists and rebels... Authored by Paul ‘Polyp’ Fitzgerald and Madeleine Goodall Colour softback, 88 pages, 23 x 16cm The aim is for an affectionate and admiring - but warts and all – tone when examining these pioneering figures from many eras and continents, who challenged not only their cultures, but their ideological peers as well. Most were subjected to hostility, prejudice, censorship and persecution, and responded with courage, determination and wit. You can contribute by clicking here. 

On May 15th Market Bosworth School completed a year 8 "Faith Walk" visiting the Islamic Centre, Leicester Synagogue, the Arch of Remembrance, St. Mary de Castro Church and Secular Hall.  Links Presentation  George Fox and the Quakers  Socrates   Jesus  Voltaire  Tom Paine  Robert Owen  Secular Charter   

The Society's Summer Programme can now be downloaded. 

A local “progressive” political group has decided not to use Secular Hall as it believes that the Society had been “displaying gratuitously Islamophobic material” when it publicised a talk on Sunday 1st February 2026   “No Hijab Day: The Lived Experience of Female Ex-Muslims”. An edited response from the Society’s chairman and a member from a Muslim background appear below. We are very sorry that *** decided to not use the Secular Hall. We note that whilst you have chosen to move to a venue which serves alcohol, groups of local Muslim women continue to book the Secular Hall. They wear Hajibs and Niqabs and probably engage in the occasional prayer on our premises. The Secular Society will continue to support a woman's right to choose, and it will no doubt continue to offend the sensibilities of the religious, especially those who have misogyny at the core of their theology. On a worldwide scale, the number of women being forced to wear Niqabs, Hijabs etc dwarfs the number...

The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence has published its final report, Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester, setting out key findings and recommendations to help rebuild trust and strengthen community relations in Leicester and beyond. Click on the image to read the report.  

    The study focuses on the personal, emotional, and meaning making process involved when someone who previously identified as Catholic decides they no longer consider themselves part of the Church. The interest is in the lived experience of choosing to step away and how this unfolds over time. Who can take part Adults who previously identified as Catholic and who have considered themselves no longer part of the Catholic Church for at least 12 months. Participants don't need to have formally left the Church. The key aspect is the personal decision and experience of no longer identifying as Catholic. What participation involves Participation consists of one confidential online interview lasting approximately 60 to 90 minutes. The conversation explores personal experiences, reflections, and the meaning of this transition in the participant’s life. There are no right or wrong answers, and participants can choose how much they wish to share.