Repeal laws against profanity, attorney urges

 

Attorney-at-law Clyde Williams has said Jamaica's laws against profanity should be repealed.

 

Mr. Williams, who was a guest on Radio Jamaica's Beyond The Headlines on Wednesday, suggested the current law be "replaced with a proper public order law." 

 

He argued that there are important provisions in the law as it stands "but the whole scope of the law, it's language, some of the sections; it's not a law that we can amend. We have to throw it out and have a brand new law." 

 

Attorney Bert Samuels, who also spoke on Beyond The Headlines, agreed that people should not be arrested for using profanity.

 

However, he noted there are times when the police may need to act to ensure a situation does not escalate.

 

"I see sometimes these profanities lead to people later in the night coming and shooting up people's house. So we have to be careful that we don't say the profanities, the police should just move and not pay any attention to it. It can escalate to violence and therefore the police duty to keep the peace should be to warn persons to desist from using these words in a cursing manner," he suggested. 

 

The discussion has arisen following the arrest of man earlier this week by the police after he was seen in a viral video hurling insults at Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

 

 

The man has subsequently been released from custody but is taking legal action against the State for his detention.