MediaWatchWatch has picked up this story from the BBC on the much maligned government proposals for new religious hatred laws.

Comic actor Rowan Atkinson and former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey joined forces with a cross-party group of peers to propose new safeguards.

They say the government will not scrap the planned legislation and so are demanding changes.

And the changes are:

Nobody can be found guilty of new religious hate crimes unless it is proved they intended to stir up hatred

Only threatening words should be banned by the bill, not those which are only abusive or insulting

There should be a specific part of the bill saying the law should not restrict discussion, criticism of expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule, insult or abuse of particular religions or beliefs.

According to Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Lester, since the government is determined to push through the legislation regardless, the amendments are being proposed to try and “take the rot out of a rotten bill.”

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