Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

Much of the time in the House, Members are obliged to resist the temptation to indulge in overstatement. Tonight, we must resist the temptation to understate the case, because this is a matter of great seriousness that goes to the very heart of the nature of our society and the freedoms that we enjoy. The Lords amendments are an attempt to improve the Bill, or perhaps an attempt to limit the damage that it may do. They go to the very heart of the matter. The nub of our consideration concerns the essence and expression of belief. That men hold strong belief is not itself virtuous. As has been said by hon. Members on both sides of the House, some beliefs are repugnant, but beyond such repugnant views, it is arguable that belief in anything is better than belief in nothing. The absence of purposeful passion—the ugly nihilism that leads men to murder carelessly or to abuse without conscience—is not merely the absence of goodness but its antithesis. When I am asked whether I detest cruelty, whether I abhor mindless destructiveness and whether I hate evil, I reply, ““Yes, I do.”” In that, I am inspired by the Bible, which tells me that I must"““Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.””" For those hon. Members who are not as familiar with the Bible as you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that is Romans 12:9. I must hate wrong actions and wrong ideas. Those who flew the aeroplanes into New York’s twin towers believed that they died martyrs’ deaths and that they would go straight to paradise. Such evil ideas are not matters of indifference. They should be hated—indeed, they must be hated, so that society remains free. If I promote hatred of those ideas, someone will undoubtedly allege that I am either intentionally or recklessly promoting hatred of people.