Politics

8 October 2016

Polish government backs down from restricting abortion rights

The Polish government this week backed down from a controversial Bill to make abortion more restrictive, because of a wave of protests in Poland and internationally. In September, Atheist Ireland spoke against this Bill at a rally in Warsaw, when we were in Poland for...

2 October 2016

Atheist Ireland has busy week at UN in Geneva, OSCE in Warsaw, and in Ireland

Atheist Ireland has had one of our busiest and most productive weeks since we were founded. We spoke and lobbied at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the annual OSCE human rights meeting in Warsaw, Poland. We met with the...

30 September 2016

Atheist Ireland Statement on International Blasphemy Rights Day 2016

Today, on International Blasphemy Rights Day, the eleventh anniversary of the Danish Mohammad cartoons, Atheist Ireland calls for the urgent repeal of the Irish blasphemy law, and the release of all prisoners held around the world on blasphemy and related charges, of which we include...

28 September 2016

Solidarity between Irish and Polish abortion rights campaigns

The Irish and Polish abortion rights campaigns have been acting in solidarity in the past week. Today, pictured centre-left above, Nina Sankari of the KLF Polish atheist foundation spoke at a protest at the Irish Embassy in Poland in support of the Irish campaign to...

27 September 2016

Holy See responds to Atheist Ireland at OSCE in Warsaw about religious-run schools

The Holy See today responded to Atheist Ireland’s contribution at the OSCE on religious discrimination in Irish schools. We will have a full analysis later, including how the Holy See’s response contrasts with its submission to the UN Committee on the rights of the Child,...

27 September 2016

Atheist Ireland tells OSCE to defend secular education, free expression and abortion

Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland today told the annual OSCE human rights meeting that Ireland and other OSCE States must protect the rights to education, expression and abortion as part of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief. We also spoke yesterday...

27 September 2016

Atheist Ireland tells OSCE to tackle religious discrimination and prejudice-motivated crime

Atheist Ireland today told the annual OSCE human rights meeting that Ireland and other OSCE States must tackle prejudice-motivated crimes and religious discrimination. We will be speaking again tomorrow on freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief. Here is our contribution to today’s session: Atheist...

23 September 2016

Atheist Ireland addresses UN Human Rights Council on blasphemy, schools and abortion

Atheist Ireland today told the UN Human Rights Council that Ireland needs to remove the ban on blasphemy, religious discrimination in schools, and the ban on abortion. In doing so we became the first atheist advocacy group to address the full UN Human Rights Council...

16 September 2016

Atheist Ireland to speak on human rights at UN in Geneva and OSCE in Warsaw

Next Friday 23rd September Atheist Ireland will become the first Atheist advocacy group to address the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. We will make this speech during the adoption of the Report from Ireland at the 33rd Session of the Universal Periodic Review...

15 September 2016

New Government Education Action Plan fails to address religious discrimination

The Government today launched its Action Plan for Education, which it says is aimed at becoming the best education service in Europe. It is already the best education service in Europe for breaching the human rights of atheists, secularists, and members of minority faiths who...