Concerns over free speech as same sex marriage legislation introduced
from home.bt:
The institution has forwarded the legal opinion it secured to Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith.
Clerics who speak out against the introduction of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland could face arrest, a Christian organisation has warned.
The Christian Institute expressed concern after commissioning a legal expert to examine what free speech protections are currently on offer to ministers who criticise the landmark move.
Public law specialist Ivan Hare QC said the threshold for prosecuting an individual for incitement to hatred offences in Northern Ireland was “substantially lower” than in England and Wales.
He said the result meant free speech in the region was “more vulnerable to infringement”.
The institution has forwarded the legal opinion it secured from Mr Hare to Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith.
Regulations to permit same sex marriage in the region are due to be introduced later this month as a consequence of legislation passed by Westminster MPs last year in the ongoing absence of a Stormont executive.
But Mr Hare said there was a “very real risk” of free speech on the same sex marriage debate being “suppressed”.
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