I am disturbed that I am about to congratulate the a UK court for its dismissal of the charges that the authorities tried to pin on the leader of the BNP, the odious Nick Griffin. He is a disgusting, dangerous individual who represents everything I detest about the extreme right. BUT he does have a right, in a free country, to say that Islam is a 'wicked, vicious faith.' If he then went onto say that people should act violently towards Muslims then that would be a reason to prosecute him - but he didn't.

In response to the acquittal the UK government is ominously making noises about trying to reintroduce the illiberal laws they failed to bring in last year which attempted to criminalise 'abusive' criticism of religion. This is completely unacceptable. People who are religious are not a race of people who share genetic similarities (well apart from stupidity maybe) - they are a bunch of deluded fuckwits who have chosen to believe in some made up bollocks and try and control other people's lives in order to fit in with their imaginary world. Of course, incitement to violence against ANY people is not acceptable but criticism of religion, no matter how strong, no matter how loud, no matter who says it, must always be allowed in a free society. Who in the UK government is going to stand up for liberal democracy and speak out against this state sponsored push to immunise organised religion from valid criticism?