anti-Scientology protestor will not be prosecuted

background

The Guardian:

A teenager who was facing legal action for calling the Church of Scientology a cult has today been told he will not be taken to court.

The Crown Prosecution Service ruled the word was neither “abusive or insulting” to the church

Well hang on, isn’t that for the ‘church’ to decide? That is yet another silly thing about such cases: how can the CPS decide what is and what is not insulting to me?

and no further action would be taken against the boy. …

A file was passed to the CPS, which today told City of London police it would not be pursuing the boy through the courts.

A spokeswoman for the force said: “The CPS review of the case includes advice on what action or behaviour at a demonstration might be considered to be threatening, abusive or insulting.

“The force’s policing of future demonstrations will reflect this advice.”

A CPS spokesman said: “In consultation with the City of London police, we were asked whether the sign, which read ‘Scientology is not a religion it is a dangerous cult’, was abusive or insulting.

“Our advice is that it is not abusive or insulting and there is no offensiveness, as opposed to criticism, neither in the idea expressed nor in the mode of expression. No action will be taken against the individual.” …

Fundamentally neither the CPS nor the police should not be determining the acceptability of words. We are in a stupid situation with this catch-all law.

Did the boy harm anyone or cause someone to come to harm or was someone likely to come to harm as a result of his actions? No? Then leave him alone.

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