Rejected petition: Abolish all religious exemptions for carrying bladed articles in public
Rejected on
Repeal Section 139(5)(b) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to completely remove the statutory defense that allows individuals to carry a knife or bladed article in a public place for religious reasons.
UK law bans carrying a knife in public without a "good reason," but Section 139(5)(b) grants an exemption for religious reasons.
We believe public safety laws must apply equally to everyone, without exception. No one should carry a blade in public based on faith. The government must remove this exemption entirely to ensure one uniform standard that protects everyone.
Why was this petition rejected?
There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.
You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.
You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for similar action: “Ban carrying religious, cultural & ceremonial bladed & pointed items in public” https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/770412
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.