The investigation into Fry's remarks in 2015 has been dropped because the Garda could find no injured parties, it has been reported.
Just a few days after it was revealed that he was about to be investigated for blasphemy in Ireland, authorities have reportedly dropped the case because they haven’t found enough people who were outraged over the actor’s remarks about God made more than two years ago.
The Garda Siochana – the Irish state police force – had reportedly begun to look in to Fry’s comments that he made about God in a television interview on the Irish state broadcaster RTE. Appearing on ‘The Meaning of Life’ hosted by Gay Byrne back in February 2015, Fry said he could never respect “a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world… full of injustice.”
One individual complained at the time, who previously told the Irish Independent: “I did my civic duty in reporting it. The guards did their duty in investigating it. I am satisfied with the result.”
The investigation into Stephen Fry's alleged blasphemy has been halted
However, on Wednesday (May 10th), it was reported that the investigation against Fry was being dropped because not enough people were outraged under the 2009 blasphemy law.
That legislation was updated from a constitutional provision from 1937 which only protected the rights of Christians from offence. Now, Mick Nugent, the co-founder of Atheist Ireland, says that the “dangerous and absurd” case of Fry’s comments coming under scrutiny more than two years after the fact made it important for the country to repeal the legislation.
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“We don’t know when the next investigation might happen, or what the outcome might be. But we know that it will have to involve a large number of people demonstrating outrage. We have already seen around the world what can happen when large numbers of people demonstrate outrage about cartoons that they consider blasphemous,” Nugent said.
Furthermore, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams told Dublin's parliament this week: “blasphemy should have no place in the constitution”, urging Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny to arrange a referendum - which is required to alter any part of the constitution - as soon as possible.
Referencing a famous quotation from sitcom ‘Father Ted’, he asked: “Will you give citizens the opportunity to say clearly, 'down with that sort of thing', and allow Stephen Fry or anyone else to express an opinion without threat of criminal proceedings?”
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