Police scrap 'Islamic blasphemy law' after free speech uproar

A police force has scrapped its Islamic blasphemy law after a free speech uproar and a potential legal challenge.South Wales Police said it will pause implementation of the controversial plan to record instances of hostility towards Muslims.Criticised as a de facto blasphemy law, it would have instructed officers to log anything which went beyond what was constituted a legitimate discussion of Islam.Opponents warned a subjective definition gave officers the power to decide what was considered acceptable and could have a chilling effect on free speech. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The Free Speech Union (FSU) wrote to South Wales Police threatening to launch judicial review unless theguidance was scrapped.The force was also reported to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission by the Conservatives.Lord Young, the founder of the FSU, has welcomed the decision and said the force should drop the guidance.He told The Telegraph: Blasphemy laws were repealed in this country 18 years ago, and we will do everything in our power to stop them being brought back by the back door.The FSU argued the guidance was incompatible with laws around freedom of speech and data protection in Britain.Max Thompson, campaign officer at the Union, wrote for GB News: In a free society, no single religion can command greater legal protection than another. Nor is it illegal to criticise, challenge, debate, or mock any religion.It is plain to see that this subjective guidance hands officers of South Wales Police the power to decide what constitutes acceptable speech about Islam — which will inevitably have a chilling effect on freedom of expression.Under SWP rules, officers would create a record of an anti-social behaviour incident which could be disclosed to employers as part of pre-job vetting.READ MORE ON BRITAIN'S POLICE:One in three Britons fear 'two-tier policing' after Henry Nowak murder, damning poll reveals‘Don’t need to be told!’ Kemi Badenoch responds to Trump administration on 'two-tier policing'Police chiefs launch urgent review into 'two-tier' guidelines after Henry Nowak murderShadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho, writing to the EHRC, urged it to open an investigation on discrimination grounds.She said the guidance would create a de facto blasphemy law, which only applies to the discussion of Islam and not other religions.On social media, the Shadow Equalities Minister said: They instructed their officers to record what they felt to be 'illegitimate' criticism of Islam.What this would mean in practice, is that individual officers could and could not say about one particular religion.This is an assault on free speech. It's an example of two-tier policing. And it has no basis in law.Mrs Coutinho has also urged the public to call for a withdrawal of the Government's new Islamophobia definition.South Wales Police had adopted the Government's non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility, but added its own extra instructions for officers to record the incidents.The FSU had previously warned the new definition could silence the philosophical beliefs of atheists, citing academic and author Richard Dawkins, who has criticised the religion. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter