Freedom of expression goes down the tubes

Don't get me wrong. I'm no fan of Melanie Phillips. But she's got the right idea when it comes to the government's bill to outlaw incitement to religious hatred.

On her blog she has been reporting the case of a journalist who is being prosecuted in Italy after writing a book critical of Islam. Now the man who prompted that action has himself been convicted of defaming the Catholic church.

She writes:

This is precisely what happens when a country introduces laws banning debate about religion - every religious believer becomes a potential criminal, faith group is set against faith group, group hatred does not diminish but grows, and freedom of expression goes down the tubes.