NEWS

Polish star Doda faces prosecution for insulting religion
Padraig Reidy: Polish star Doda faces prosecution for insulting religion
05 May 10

Doda (or Dorota Rabczewska, as it says on her birth certificate), is, according to CNN, one of the top 10 famous poles ever!

The “Polish Britney Spears” has found herself in trouble, however, after saying she believed more in dinosaurs rather than the Bible because “it is hard to believe in something written by people who drank too much wine and smoked herbal cigarettes.”

Following complaints from conservative Catholic groups, Doda now faces prosecution for “insulting religious feelings”, a crime that can carry a prison sentence of up to two years under Polish law.

This, surely, illustrates a problem with legislating for feelings. How does one prove whether a person, never mind a religious group, gets hurt feelings? And how hurtful does something have to be before it’s illegal?

Don’t we all get hurt feelings sometimes?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zI3_pnUU3k

By Padraig Reidy

Padraig Reidy is the editor of Little Atoms and a columnist for Index on Censorship. He has also written for The Observer, The Guardian, and The Irish Times.

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