MR BEAN SERIES SHORTS #10

Activism knowledge
In October 2012, he voiced his support for the Reform Section 5 campaign,[90] which aims to reform or repeal Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, particularly its statement that an insult can be grounds for arrest and punishment. It is a reaction to several recent high-profile arrests, which Atkinson sees as a restriction of freedom of expression.[91] In February 2014, Parliament passed a redaction of the statute which removed the word "insulting" following pressure from citizens.[92][93]

In 2018, Atkinson defended comments made by Boris Johnson over wearing the burqa. Atkinson wrote to The Times stating, "as a lifelong beneficiary of the freedom to make jokes about religion, I do think that Boris Johnson's joke about wearers of the burka resembling letterboxes is a pretty good one."[