Government to stop an 'insult' being a crime
Tuesday 15 January 2013
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EmailFree speech campaigners have hailed a major victory after the government amended the law so that anyone caught making spurious insults in public will no longer be prosecuted.
Home Secretary Theresa May said ministers planned to drop the word "insulting" from Section 5 of the Public Order Act, as she detailed the contents of the Crime and Courts Bill.
Section 5 of the Act was based on the word "insulting" and saw a number of spurious arrests and courts cases including one where a teenage boy was detained for holding a "Scientology is a dangerous cult" placard.
Campaign organisation National Secular Society welcomed the move as a "victory for freedom of expression."
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