British comedy star Rowan Atkinson was wracked by rising warriors after he challenged the notorious hate crime rule.
Rowan Atkinson argues the proposed bill will hamper reasoned discourse and free expression, and is within an open letter signed by authors, academics, philosopher and activists against the Scottish Nationalist Party’s law.
They caution of the “unintended consequences” the bill could have.
RT reports: The signs raised a specific concern about provisions to make “stir up hatred” an offense, even if the person making the comments did not intend it.
“The Law introduces the provocation of crimes without being investigated deliberately, merely so that expressions, acts, or artworks may do so. The crime may also extend to products created by someone else, where the distribution of the content will cause hatred, “says the letter.
“The potential consequences of this common sense risk being affected by Bill’s right to express or challenge religious and other views.”
Concerns have been raised over celebrities like JK Rowling having voiced their opinions on transgender topics as a result of the current laws.
The civil rights activist Peter Tatchell and the philosopher AC Grayling are both famous individuals who will add their signature to the message. There are also concerns regarding the bill raised by the Law Society of Scotland, Scottish Newspaper Society, the Scottish Police Federation and the Catholic Church.
I ‘m looking to see when and why Rowan Atkinson’s the standard. A comic cries out for freedom of speech and is branded ‘problematic.’ Forget that his work lampooned racist and nationalist, this is an unwelcome fact. Now he’s toxic. Fuck off, Twitter. Fuck off, Facebook.
I looked to see why Rowan Atkinson is trending and it’s the usual. A comedian comes out in favour of free speech and is called ’problematic’. Forget the fact his career has been spent lampooning racists and fascism, that’s an inconvenient fact. He’s toxic now. Fuck off, Twitter.
— Jonathan Pie (@JonathanPieNews) August 11, 2020
With various political figures and organisations raising protests, Atkinson has played a crucial role among many in support of rule, with the famous comedian being rounded off by others canceling entertainment jihadis.
Tuesday, the swirl of reaction saw the name trend of ‘Mr Bean’ and ‘Blackadder’ on Twitter in the UK. Many respondents questioned that they disagreed with Atkinson, although several others just called.
HATE SPEECH =/= FREE SPEECH
Amazing how those against the anti hate speech bill are those like Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry saying “feel free to insult me!”
You’re not the ones at risk of violence and even murder as a direct response of the impact. https://t.co/BioO44VIvo
— CuppaJoey Comedy (@comedy_joey) August 11, 2020
SPEECH HAT = /= FREE SPEECH.
It’s amazing how stars like Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry say “feel free to offend me.”
You are not at risk of violence or even murder as a direct impact response. HostNet / BioO44VIvo
I would prefer comedians to stick to humor. Rowan Atkinson’s a nob of the Tory. And TBF, as a Tory, is expected to be one.
Yet he’s not alone ….
The cause of socialism can be even more damaged by centrist Comedians, whose livelihoods depend on the fascist media.
I wish comedians would stick to comedy. Rowan Atkinson is a Tory nob. And TBF as a Tory there is an expectation for him to be one.
He’s not alone though….
Centrist comedians, whose livelihoods depend on the fascist media can be even more damaging to the cause of Socialism.— Art Crunchy (@ArtCrunchy) August 11, 2020
This was not all bad news, though, as others applauded the actor for his role. The outrage for Atkinson boomed and people started circulating the comedian ‘s video of the free speech controversy in 2012.
Rowan Atkinson is on Twitter because he dares to defend freedom of speech. He was one of the most talented supporters throughout his life. KnQ31qRZlx / Pic.twitter.com
Rowan Atkinson is trending on Twitter for daring to defend free speech. He’s been one of the most brilliant advocates of it throughout his career. pic.twitter.com/KnQ31qRZlx
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) August 11, 2020