Absence of Outraged People Prompts Irish Police to Ditch Stephen Fry's Blasphemy Probe
The Irish police dropped its probe on the blasphemous comments made by British comedian Stephen Fry after determining that there was no injured party and that there were not enough people outraged by the remarks. Investigators spoke to the complainant and informed that they won't be carrying out further inquiries.
The investigation was prompted by Fry's televised comments in February 2015, describing God to be "capricious," "mean-minded," "stupid" and an "utter maniac." The comments were publicized, but only one man made a formal complaint based on Ireland's blasphemy legislation.
The country's Defamation Act of 2009 makes anyone "who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offense" liable to pay a penalty of up to €25,000. The complainant, who asked for anonymity, said he wasn't offended by the remarks, but his sense of civic duty compelled him to lodge a report.
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A police source said they concluded the investigation on the case for the reason that they were unable to find a substantial number of outraged people. The complainant is treated merely as a witness and not an injured party. For his part, the complainant expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the case as the police did their duty to investigate his grievance.
The investigation has reopened the debate surrounding the blasphemy law. Health Minister Simon Harris batted for a referendum to change the Constitution's stance of blasphemy. He described the law as a cause of embarrassment that needed to be changed. "It obviously does require constitutional change," he said.
Harris pointed out that Ireland is a democracy where people have the right to express their views. "Stephen Fry, regardless of your own religious views, was clearly making a number of points that he clearly felt very strongly about in his usual witty way. I think we do need a referendum," he went on to say.
