My Lords, that is not at all what I said. The position is that stirring up religious hatred is not covered by the existing law, save in relation to Jews and Sikhs, due to the ethnic basis of their religion. That is the argument that the noble Lord should address,...

My Lords, that is not at all what I said. The position is that stirring up religious hatred is not covered by the existing law, save in relation to Jews and Sikhs, due to the ethnic basis of their religion. That is the argument that the noble Lord should address,...

My Lords, unlike the noble Lord, Lord Ahmed, I do not support the Government. I approach the Bill with a strong presumption in favour of freedom of speech. I shall quote John Stuart Mill, although it is a different passage from that cited by the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker. He...

My Lords, unlike the noble Lord, Lord Ahmed, I do not support the Government. I approach the Bill with a strong presumption in favour of freedom of speech. I shall quote John Stuart Mill, although it is a different passage from that cited by the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker. He...

My Lords, I am grateful. I know not of a single mosque where there has been an authorised preaching of hate, except the Finsbury Park mosque, in London, which has been in the media. Thank God those people have been locked up and that the mosque has been handed over...

My Lords, I am grateful. I know not of a single mosque where there has been an authorised preaching of hate, except the Finsbury Park mosque, in London, which has been in the media. Thank God those people have been locked up and that the mosque has been handed over...

My Lords, some years ago, in 1990, as the Conservative parliamentary candidate in Cheltenham, I had a rather interesting experience. On my first day as a candidate, an elderly lady approached me and demanded to know what exotic part of the world I was from. I replied that I was...

My Lords, some years ago, in 1990, as the Conservative parliamentary candidate in Cheltenham, I had a rather interesting experience. On my first day as a candidate, an elderly lady approached me and demanded to know what exotic part of the world I was from. I replied that I was...

My Lords, this is the most illiberal measure that has been brought before your Lordships in the 18 years I have been privileged to serve here. It is beyond belief, at least on my part, that it has been introduced by a Labour Government. The Bill is also irrational in...

My Lords, this is the most illiberal measure that has been brought before your Lordships in the 18 years I have been privileged to serve here. It is beyond belief, at least on my part, that it has been introduced by a Labour Government. The Bill is also irrational in...

My Lords, I believe that this Bill is unnecessary, unpopular, unwise and certainly unclear, as the debate today has shown. Many of the Christians who are demonstrating outside today are looking for assurances that they can preach the gospel, but I know that they would be the first to insist...

My Lords, I believe that this Bill is unnecessary, unpopular, unwise and certainly unclear, as the debate today has shown. Many of the Christians who are demonstrating outside today are looking for assurances that they can preach the gospel, but I know that they would be the first to insist...

My Lords, I am happy to have heard the noble Lord’s comments, because I understood that the Government said—and I am in no position to contradict them—that some of this poison has been implanted in the minds of young people in mosques. That is one of the major concerns that...

My Lords, I am happy to have heard the noble Lord’s comments, because I understood that the Government said—and I am in no position to contradict them—that some of this poison has been implanted in the minds of young people in mosques. That is one of the major concerns that...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. Just as in mainstream British society we have diverse opinions on everything, in the Muslim community we, too, have diverse opinions. However, I organised meetings of imams and community leaders in Birmingham, Manchester and Bradford. After a huge debate, every one...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. Just as in mainstream British society we have diverse opinions on everything, in the Muslim community we, too, have diverse opinions. However, I organised meetings of imams and community leaders in Birmingham, Manchester and Bradford. After a huge debate, every one...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord and I am sorry to interrupt him. He has spoken about the Muslim community as though there is just one single view. Does he accept that there is within the Muslim communities a great deal of concern adverse to the Bill?...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord and I am sorry to interrupt him. He has spoken about the Muslim community as though there is just one single view. Does he accept that there is within the Muslim communities a great deal of concern adverse to the Bill?...

My Lords, the Bill is intended to give faith communities the levels of safety and security to which they are entitled in a diverse, civilised and democratic society. Put simply, it is about preventing people inciting hatred and providing all communities with equal protection. As has been mentioned by many...

My Lords, the Bill is intended to give faith communities the levels of safety and security to which they are entitled in a diverse, civilised and democratic society. Put simply, it is about preventing people inciting hatred and providing all communities with equal protection. As has been mentioned by many...

My Lords, I invite my noble friend to agree that it is important that the issue of incitement is dealt with. The polls reflect that. We take them as active encouragement for the measures included in the Bill. The heart of the debate in your Lordships’ House has focused, understandably,...

My Lords, I invite my noble friend to agree that it is important that the issue of incitement is dealt with. The polls reflect that. We take them as active encouragement for the measures included in the Bill. The heart of the debate in your Lordships’ House has focused, understandably,...

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for giving way. Does he agree that such polls have centred, as he indicated, on incitement and do not go into the detail of further liability beyond incitement, which is always quoted?

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for giving way. Does he agree that such polls have centred, as he indicated, on incitement and do not go into the detail of further liability beyond incitement, which is always quoted?

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for reminding me of that point. He sent me a note earlier and I shall endeavour to respond to him. I have some statistical information which I can impart. Noble Lords have given voice to the fact that, in your Lordships’...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for reminding me of that point. He sent me a note earlier and I shall endeavour to respond to him. I have some statistical information which I can impart. Noble Lords have given voice to the fact that, in your Lordships’...

My Lords, since the Minister has mentioned me, I remind him that I have written to the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, asking her to inform the House in this debate, if she were here, about what the police and the prosecutors have done since the disgraceful events of 7 July...

My Lords, since the Minister has mentioned me, I remind him that I have written to the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, asking her to inform the House in this debate, if she were here, about what the police and the prosecutors have done since the disgraceful events of 7 July...

My Lords, we do not have a problem with that because the circumstances the noble Lord describes would be designed to stir up and incite racial hatred.

My Lords, we do not have a problem with that because the circumstances the noble Lord describes would be designed to stir up and incite racial hatred.

My Lords, I shall not interrupt again, but I would like a clear answer to this point. The noble Lord, like his colleagues, repeatedly says that the Bill is about attacking groups of people and not beliefs. In new Section 17A, ““religious hatred”” is defined as,"““hatred against a group of...

My Lords, I shall not interrupt again, but I would like a clear answer to this point. The noble Lord, like his colleagues, repeatedly says that the Bill is about attacking groups of people and not beliefs. In new Section 17A, ““religious hatred”” is defined as,"““hatred against a group of...

My Lords, we understand why the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, cannot be here and we look forward to seeing her again soon, as we do the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth to whom we wish a speedy recovery. What an interesting debate this has been. We have had...

My Lords, we understand why the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, cannot be here and we look forward to seeing her again soon, as we do the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth to whom we wish a speedy recovery. What an interesting debate this has been. We have had...

My Lords, it falls to me, at the opening of my response, to join in the general congratulations that have been offered to my noble friends Lord Foulkes of Cumnock and Lady Corston. I listened with great interest to their speeches, not least that of my noble friend Lord Foulkes....

My Lords, it falls to me, at the opening of my response, to join in the general congratulations that have been offered to my noble friends Lord Foulkes of Cumnock and Lady Corston. I listened with great interest to their speeches, not least that of my noble friend Lord Foulkes....

My Lords, I want to apologise to the House for speaking in an irregular fashion. I thought I would be unable to attend today, but I have been able to extricate myself from another commitment, and am using this opportunity to speak in the gap. I will be brief. First,...

My Lords, I want to apologise to the House for speaking in an irregular fashion. I thought I would be unable to attend today, but I have been able to extricate myself from another commitment, and am using this opportunity to speak in the gap. I will be brief. First,...

My Lords, we have had an interesting Second Reading debate. I congratulate the two noble Lords who made their maiden speeches. They will find that, unlike the other place, your Lordships’ House has a mind of its own. If I were the Lord Chancellor, I would be desperately worried, as...

My Lords, we have had an interesting Second Reading debate. I congratulate the two noble Lords who made their maiden speeches. They will find that, unlike the other place, your Lordships’ House has a mind of its own. If I were the Lord Chancellor, I would be desperately worried, as...