Frankie Boyle Attacks Religious Hatred Laws

Scottish Comedian Frankie Boyle has provoked criticism after claiming the Scottish Government's new 'offensive behaviour' laws are an "attack on freedom of speech".

The 39 year old made the controversial comments in an interview with The List magazine.

The laws, which ministers say are designed to combat religious hatred relating to football matches, were passed last month. The offensive behaviour law carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Mr Boyle said the laws were about, "the ruling classes telling the working classes what to say and think."

"The idea is laughable...You can’t come in and say that the opinions people hold, the songs they sing, the language they use is inferior and invalid."

"...we have a ruling class that has internalised colonial attitudes and says ‘ban songs, ban words’. Because that’s exactly what a colonial power would do. That’s exactly what happened in Scotland too and we have internalised it and are repeating its failings."

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said Mr Boyle's comments were "ill-judged" and suggested the comedian was "running out of anything genuinely funny to say."

Speaking about the Levison enquiry in the same interview, Boyle said, "I saw the McCanns on there and really wanted them to go, 'Could you round it up in the next five minutes, mate? We've left the kids over in Starbucks.' Just to show they can still have a bit of a laugh."

Mr Boyle's comments are the latest in a string of controversial remarks. Last year Channel 4 were found to have breached broadcasting guidelines after airing the comedians jokes about Katie Price's disabled son.

When asked by The List magazine if he had ever told a joke that had gone "too far", the outspoken comedian responded: "There is no ‘too far’".