In the News: End of Blasphemy Ban in Alsace-Moselle

The French Ministry of Justice has just ruled that the ban on blasphemy in the eastern region of Alsace-Moselle—which includes the three departements of Moselle, Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin—is no longer in effect. Although the blasphemy ban was repealed in France in 1881, it persisted in this region which was still part of Germany at the time. The ban was codified in paragraph 166 of the German penal code and was integrated into local legislation in 1919 when Alsace-Moselle became part of France after World War I. The Justice Ministry has now ruled that the ban must be considered implicitly repealed because it is incompatible with fundamental principles of French justice.

With this ruling, henceforth the crime of blasphemy exists nowhere in France.

See:

• La fin du délit de blasphème en Alsace-Moselle (“The End of the Ban on Blasphemy in Alsace-Moselle”), Patrick Perotto, L’Est républicain, 2016-01-06
• Oui, on a le droit de blasphémer même en Alsace-Moselle (“Yes, you now have the right to blaspheme even in Alsace-Moselle”), Louis Hausalter, Marianne, 2016-01-06