Ireland has voted to remove the crime of blasphemy from its constitution by a significant majority, according to exit polls.
An exit poll by the national broadcaster, RTÉ, suggested 71.1% had voted yes on the question of whether or not to repeal the constitutional ban, with 26.3% voting no. A poll by the Irish Times poll predicted that 69% had backed the proposal and 31% had voted against it.
Should the referendum figures be confirmed once the votes are counted, the move would be the latest sign of the weakening of religious conservatism in the country.
The last prosecution for blasphemy in Ireland was in 1855, but three years ago Irish police investigated comments made by Stephen Fry on television in which the comedian described God as “capricious”, “mean-minded”, and an “utter maniac”. The investigation was later dropped after police decided insufficient numbers of people had been outraged.
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