Kendall should know that our right to piss people off doesn't depend on any God, thank God. And that analogy he cites about shouting "fire" doesn't work in the UK, where "free speech" is taken to mean the right of every individual to express views, regardless of whether such views might offend others. A moron in a hurry could not confuse that concept with a malicious shouted warning.

However there are two laws which do curb this freedom of expression: those concerning racial incitement and blasphemy. The blasphemy law protects only Christian churchs - perhaps only the Church of England - though it is soon to be extended to other religions. (For my part I'm against both laws, but that's a separate debate.)

Here are some sentences from the Birmingham Post review of the play at issue here, published before Saturday night's violence:

[....] After such a build up, you're expecting quite a shock, and this terrific new play doesn't disappoint. It is offensive, and furious, and bloodthirsty, and angry, in all the right places. Set mainly in the Gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, this searing comedy features rape, abuse, murder, violence - while still managing to be touching and tremendously important [....] The best drama takes risks, kicks out and offends, and the best writers expose hypocrisy and pretence where they find it. Gripping and essential.

Kendall, if you want to know whether the setting needs to be the Gurdwara, get hold of The (London) Independent (Dec 21), which published the offending act of Behzti across the whole of its front page and an inside page. Maybe after reading it you would conclude that the setting was inappropriate. That would be your entitlement. You are NOT entitled to rewrite the play to suit your own agenda, and neither is anyone else.

If you want to see a world in which art is not allowed to be provocative, and may be conceived only by committees truly representative of their communities, you will rejoice that the capitulation in Birmigham has brought such a world one step closer.