Dear RS5 Supporter,
We are delighted to report that the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has announced that the Government will not seek to overturn the amendment, put forward by the House of Lords, to scrap the term ‘insulting’ from Section 5 of the Public Order Act, 1986.
Speaking in the House of Commons on the evening of Monday 14 January 2013, the Home Secretary told MPs that the crime of “insulting” someone through words or behaviour – which once led to the arrest of a student for asking a police officer whether his horse was gay – is to be dropped.
We welcome the Government’s decision. It is the culmination of intense efforts by the campaign’s supporters and team alike. Whilst it is victory for the campaign, above all, it is a victory for free speech in the United Kingdom.
People of all shades of opinion have suffered at the hands of Section 5. By accepting the Lords amendment, the Government has managed to please the widest possible cross-section of society. They have done the right thing and we congratulate them.
Thank you again.
Yours faithfully,
Simon Calvert