Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps have been taken by the Government in response to the recommendation in paragraph 6.7 of the Council of Europe Resolution 2036 (2015) on encouraging the media to avoid negative stereotyping and communicating prejudices against Christians, in the same way as for any other group.

Inciting religious hatred is a crime and the government will not tolerate hate speech against any religion or community. There is a robust regulatory framework in place for broadcasting enforced by Ofcom, the independent communications regulator. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code makes clear that, unless justified by the context, content which includes hate speech or derogatory material in regards to any individuals, groups, religions or communities must not be included in TV or radio broadcasts. With regard to written media, the government is committed to a free and independent press and does not interfere with what is published, as long as the press abides by the law, including laws against hate speech.