Rowan Atkinson on free speech

The Christian Institute spearheaded the Reform Section 5 campaign to get the word ‘insulting’ removed from Section 5 of the Public Order Act, as part of the Crime and Courts Bill.

After a lengthy campaign, which included support from celebrities including Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry, the then Home Secretary Theresa May eventually agreed. The change is now incorporated in Section 57 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 which came into force on 1 February 2014.