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Irish police have launched an investigator after a viewer complained comments made by Stephen Fry on a TV show were ‘blasphemous’.
During an appearance on Irish channel RTE in 2015, the British entertainer asked why he should ‘respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world…. full of injustice’.
Following the complaint, officers are now investigating whether the 59-year-old committed a criminal offence under the Defamation Act.
Appearing on The Meaning of Life, hosted by Gay Byrne, in February 2015, Fry had been asked what he might say to God at the gates of heaven.
Fry said: ‘How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It’s not our fault? It’s not right. It’s utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?’
He went on to say that Greek gods ‘didn’t present themselves as being all seeing, all wise, all beneficent”, adding “the god who created this universe, if it was created by god, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish’.
The individual, who took offence to the comments and who wished to remain anonymous, told the news outlet it was their “civic duty” to report the comments which he alleges were in breach of the Defamation Act.
He said he had recently been contacted by police after following up the complaint with them late last year.
A police spokesperson has said: ‘We are not commenting on any ongoing investigations’.
The offence of blasphemy, included in the Defamation Act, is punishable by a fine of 25,000 euro ($A37,090) under Irish law.
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