Archive for May, 2010

Another pop star gets prosecuted in Poland

Doda: On trial for disrespecting the Bible. (Photo by Michał Jabłoński)

First they prosecuted Behemoth front-man ADAM “Nergal” Darski for tearing up a Bible on stage. Now the All-Polish Committee for the Defence Against Sects is going after his fiancée, the singer Dorota Rabczewska.

Better known as “Doda”, she gave a TV interview last year in which she said of the Bible:

it is hard to believe in something written by people who drank too much wine and smoked herbal cigarettes.

This was too much for the chairman of the whacky APCDAS, Ryszard Nowak:

It is clear that Doda thinks that the Bible was written by drunkards and junkies. […]
I believe that she committed a crime and offended the religious feelings of both Christians and Jews.

If convicted, Doda faces up to two years in prison. Her fiancé Nargal is currently still on trial.

(Hat tip: The Freethinker)




Reddit takes a stand for South Park

The social bookmarking site Reddit.com, one of the most popular websites in the world, has made a symbolic stand for free expression by using South Park’s Mohammed cartoon as the logo for its “Atheism” branch:

This gesture from the Conde Nast Digital owned company is another example of the growing popular revolt against self-censorship.




Pope Song

If you still haven’t heard Tim Minchin’s subtle yet devastating critique of Pope Benedict the Whatever, here it is:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZFfQ4gd9ZM[/youtube]
N, we should emphasise, SFW. Not without headphones, anyway.




Daily Telegraph publishes a Motoon

I believe this makes The Daily Telegraph the first mainstream UK newspaper to publish an image of Mohammed, at least since the 2006 Motoon riots.

The comment article by Alex Spillius, America’s Disappointing reaction to South Park censorship, appears only on the Telegraph’s website. It is illustrated with this still from the 2001 “Super Best Friends” episode (he’s the one on the right.):

A small step, but a significant one for UK newspaper publishing.