Fry being investigated for blasphemy - reports
Stephen Fry called God an "utter maniac" during a TV interview which may have breached Ireland's Defamation Act.
Sunday 7 May 2017 09:12, UK
Police are investigating a complaint of blasphemy against actor and comedian Stephen Fry, according to reports.
A member of the public contacted authorities after Fry spoke about God during an interview with Irish Broadcaster RTE in February 2015, the Irish Independent has reported.
Blasphemy is an offence under Ireland's Defamation Act 2009 and anyone found guilty can be fined up to €25,000.
The complaint is related to Fry's interview with Gay Byrne on The Meaning Of Life, where he was asked about what he might say to God at the pearly gates.
Fry replied: "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 if he was met by the Greek gods he would accept them quicker because, "they didn't present themselves as being all seeing, all wise, all beneficent".
He added: "Because the god who created this universe, if it was created by God, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish.
"We have to spend our lives on our knees thanking him. What kind of god would do that?"
The complainant, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Irish Independent he had not been personally offended by the comments but that he "simply believed that the comments... were criminal blasphemy and that I was doing my civic duty by reporting a crime".
He added that he had recently been contacted by police after following up the complaint with them late last year.
A spokeswoman for the Garda said: "We are not commenting on an ongoing investigation."