Is blasphemy illegal in France?
No blasphemy law
France abolished blasphemy laws in 1881, though religious insult remains punishable under other provisions.
France is one of 10 countries classified “No blasphemy law” for blasphemy — 18% of the 57 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Blasphemy law
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Switzerland
- Criminal offense Switzerland criminalizes public insult or mockery of religious convictions with monetary penalties.
- Netherlands
- No blasphemy law Netherlands abolished its blasphemy law in the 1960s.
- Germany
- Criminal offense Germany criminalizes religious defamation that disturbs public peace, as seen in the 2006 toilet paper case.
- Austria
- Criminal offense Austria criminalizes blasphemy with fines or up to six months imprisonment, upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.
- Italy
- Fines / civil penalties Italy punishes public blasphemy with fines rather than imprisonment.
- United Kingdom
- No blasphemy law Blasphemy laws have been abolished in England and Wales (2008) and Scotland (2021), with no current criminal penalties for blasphemy.
Other laws in France
- Holocaust Denial
- Criminal offense
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- Banned
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.