Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP)
I wish to present a petition of 2,079 signatures on behalf of the members of Families Against Suicide Today. I should like to note that Burren is near Warrenpoint in County Down in the constituency of South Down.
The petition states:
The Petition of Members of FAST (Families Against Suicide Today),
Declares that FAST was brought together by Patti Boyle whose son Kevin left home at 12.30pm on 12 October 2011 after telling her he was going to work and that 101 days later his remains were found in a local area known as ‘Happy Valley’; further that Kevin had purchased an online suicide kit to complete his death from a website which described death as ‘Deliverance’; further that the Petitioners marched on 30 August 2012 from Kevin’s grave in Burren, Co. Down to Westminster to highlight Article 2 of the Human Rights Act 1998 the ‘Right to Life’.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to close down websites assisting suicide and to prosecute those who commit the crime of aiding and abetting suicide.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P001142]
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough) (Con)
This petition is from in excess of 4,000 Muslims in the City of Peterborough.
The petition states:
The Petition of Muslims of the City of Peterborough,
Declares that the Petitioners feel hurt and shocked by the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’; further that the Petitioners believe that it represents a defamation of Islamic sacred values and is an insult to the Prophet Muhammad and that the Petitioners believe that this defamation of the Prophet Muhammad, or indeed any other Prophet, is unacceptable; further that the Petitioners do not accept the claim that insults to religious institutions, their prophets or their values fall within the scope of freedom of speech and that whilst the Petitioners support freedom of speech they wish to remind people that it carries with it the role of responsibility and care not to hurt and humiliate the feelings of other people; further that the Petitioners believe this kind of film, along with derogatory sketches and cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous and tortuous to Muslims all over the world; further that the Petitioners wish to dissociate themselves from the small minority of people who misbehaved during the protest marches throughout the world against this film and that the Petitioners believe that those actions were against the teachings of our beloved prophet.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to ban the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ from being shown, consider new legislation to make it a criminal offence to create films or cartoons of a blasphemous nature and support moves to recognise the responsibility attached to freedom of speech and ensure such derogatory material is not encouraged.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P001144]