Rowan Atkinson is one of my favorite comics. Growing up in the early 90’s I loved seeing Mr. Bean on HBO. I watched both Mr. Bean movies. I was also a fan of The Blackadder, which was comedy set against a backdrop of English history. Now the Mr. Bean star has had enough with The UK’s Public Order Act . Recently a Christian minister was arrested for mocking Scientology. Even worse a teenager was arrested for speaking out against a Muslim Brotherhood connected organization and their hatred of gays, women and Jews. Rowan Atkinson is calling for a repeal of part of this act so that people can have free speech.
The Blackadder and Mr Bean star attacked the “creeping culture of censoriousness” which has resulted in the arrest of a Christian preacher, a critic of Scientology and even a student making a joke, it was reported.
He criticised the “new intolerance” as he called for part of it the Public Order Act to be repealed, saying it was having a “chilling effect on free expression and free protest”.
Mr Atkinson said: “The clear problem of the outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such. Criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy, can be interpreted as insult.”
[….]
They include a 16-year-old boy being held for peacefully holding a placard reading “Scientology is a dangerous cult”, and gay rights campaigners from the group Outrage! detained when they protested against Islamic fundamentalist group Hizb ut-Tahrir over its stance on gays, Jews and women.
[….]
Speaking at the Westminster launch of the campaign, he added: “The law should not be aiding and abetting the new intolerance.”
I am glad someone with the prominence of Rowan Atkinson is speaking out. A free society is based on free speech. When you restrict what people can discuss it stifles freedom. Comedy is based on ridicule and Atkinson knows him or other comedians could one day be arrested. I hope more British entertainers speak out against censorship.
