The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a poster depicting the comedian Fern Brady as the Virgin Mary squirting breast milk into the mouth of a kneeling man dressed in ecclesiastical clothing over fears it could offend Christians. This ban in effect reintroduces censorship on the basis of blasphemy. Blasphemy laws were repealed in England and Wales in 2008, and Scotland in 2024.
Humanists UK is calling on the ASA to overturn the ban. Censoring adverts on grounds of causing religious offence amounts to a de facto anti-blasphemy law, which is an unreasonable restriction on free expression. The ASA has applied a similar ban on adverts in the past even though the law is clear that blasphemy cannot be treated as an offence and this level of censorship oversteps their remit.
The ASA is the self-regulator of almost all advertising space in the UK. It maintains a Code on Advertising Practice, and routinely bans adverts that don’t comply with the Code. The Code says ‘Marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of: …religion or belief’. Humanists UK believes that the subjective test of ‘offence’ should not appear in the Code and has long spoken out against examples of censorship that amount to the reintroduction of the blasphemy law, for advertising, by the back door.
Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson commented:
‘It is concerning that a comedian cannot make light of religion without fear of censorship. Comedy, by its very nature, often challenges social norms and touches on subjects that may be uncomfortable or controversial. Yet this is exactly why comedy is such a vital tool for freedom of expression and critical thinking.
‘In a pluralistic society, it is vital that people are able to express their views, whether they are religious or not, without the fear of being silenced by vague and subjective standards. The ASA is enabling back door anti-blasphemy laws and we urge them to review and overturn this decision.’
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Read more about our work on freedom of expression in advertising.
Read more about our work on repealing blasphemy laws.
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