No special protection
Sir: Rod Liddle’s joke that the election might be held on a date when Muslims cannot vote, thereby reducing support for Labour, has apparently led to outrage. There has been no similar outrage over your front cover (‘A vote is born’), which satirises the Christian nativity by portraying Johnson, Corbyn and Swinson visiting the stable in Bethlehem.
It should be a principle of free speech in any free society that all religions are equally subject to satire, criticism and even gentle mockery; there should be no special protection for one set of beliefs over another. In allowing satire about two mainstream religions in the same issue, you have shown admirable balance.
Peter Richardson
Amersham, Bucks
Rod’s ‘humour’
Sir: I like to think I read broadly across the political spectrum; Rod Liddle clearly likes stirring things up (‘The People’s Vote meltdown’, 2 November). But it’s not funny to laugh at minority ethnic groups on the basis of their religion.
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