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Stephen Fry investigated for “blasphemy” in Ireland

Complaint over comments made in 2015 could carry a maximum penalty of $37,090 in Ireland.

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UK actor and presenter Stephen Fry is being investigated by Irish police over comments he made on The Meaning of Life two years ago.

A member of the public made a complaint shortly after the show was broadcast in February 2015.

On the special Fry was asked what he would say if he met God outside the pearly gates. He responded: “I would say, ‘Bone cancer in children? What’s that about?’

“How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It’s not our fault? It’s not right. It’s utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?”

Under Irish law blasphemy carries a maximum penalty of $A37,090.

“A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €25,000” the Defamation Law states.

The man who made the complaint said, he had not personally been offended by Fry’s comments, adding that “I simply believed that the comments made by Fry on RTÉ were criminal blasphemy and that I was doing my civic duty by reporting a crime.”

Irish broadcaster RTE and Stephen Fry are yet to comment about the matter.

There have been no publicised cases of blasphemy brought before Irish courts.

Source: Independent

3 Responses

  1. Fry was reported to the police not by a god botherer, but someone who correctly saw this as “illegal” as per an archaic law of Eire. The purpose of this litigation is not to put Fry on trial, but to put the law on trial, to show how out of place it is in modern Ireland. And from there, that and other religious-based legislation can be struck off by the Irish parliament.

  2. I doubt this will make it far in the courts. Fry is hired to be a social commentator and he gave an opinion.
    You want people to respect the idea of “God” that you created, but you’re not willing to respect their right to not believe?
    If you want people to respect your beliefs, you can’t go suing them over theirs.

  3. Quite ridiculous, God doesn’t “meet and greet” at the gate, that’s left to an agent. Besides, Stephen would head to the gate where there’s no queue and marked “atheists”.

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