Stephen Fry is reportedly being investigated by police in Ireland after a complaint of blasphemy was made against him concerning an interview on Irish television over two years ago.

Gardai (the Irish state police force) in Dublin have been in contact with the individual who made the complaint regarding a television programme broadcast by state network RTE in February 2015 in which Fry referred to God as “capricious, mean-minded, stupid”.

Stephen FryStephen Fry made the comments in February 2015

The Irish Independent claimed on Sunday (May 7th) that a full investigation is due to be carried out. It’s believed that the 59 year old will be investigated under the 2009 Defamation Act, whereby a person who utters or publishes blasphemous material can be convicted and fined up to 25,000 Euros.

Appearing on ‘The Meaning of Life’ TV programme hosted by Gay Byrne 27 months ago, Fry was asked what he would say to God if he had the chance.

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“I’d say “‘Bone cancer in children, what’s that about?’ How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault,” Fry replied. “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?”

Fry continued that he preferred the idea of the Greek gods, because “they didn’t present themselves as being all seeing, all wise, all beneficent. Because the god who created this universe, if it was created by God, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish. We have to spend our lives on our knees thanking him. What kind of god would do that?”

A clip of the interview has been viewed more than 7 million times on YouTube, but an anonymous member of the public felt moved to make a criminal complaint against Fry and reported the incident at the Ennis garda station in County Clare soon afterwards.

“I told the garda that I did not want to include this as I had not personally been offended by Fry’s comments,” the individual said. “I added 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.”

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