The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill is about creating a new criminal offence (with a maximum penalty of 7 years in jail) of 'stirring up hatred against people on religious grounds'. It does this by adding new parts to an older law: the Public Order Act 1986.

Methods for Lobbying MPs

It is prudent to lobby constituency MPs and raise the concerns we have with the Bill well in advance of any potential vote by MPs in the coming months.
To this end it is suggested that there are two primary things that can be done:

1) Visits to the MP's constituency surgery.

Face to face visits are the most effective way of communicating the strength of feelings that Christians have about this issue. Church leaders and others in positions of authority may themselves want to form delegations to visit their MPs and may also want to encourage their congregations or members to do the same. The following advice may be of use to those wishing to follow this course.

• For those who want to confirm who their local MP is, the Parliament website's 'Constituency Locata' is a simple way of doing this.
• Having found who your MP is, use the helpful Christian Institute service to see how your MP has voted on the Religious Hatred Bill in the past.
  
  As a rough guide, if your MP is not a Labour MP, they are unlikely to have voted for the Bill and are not a priority for lobbying though they must be encouraged to resist the Bill in its entirety. If the MP has consistently voted against the Bill (probably a Conservative or LibDem) then there is less need to send large numbers of constituents to visit them. However, if they have voted for the Bill, and particularly if they are on the 'Target MPs' list, greater lengths should be made to visit and lobby them. It would be good to create a 'steady stream' of concerned Christians to MPs' surgeries. Visits every week by Christians would ensure the MPs realise the strength of feeling and opposition.
• From the Parliament website, contact details can be found for all the constituency MPs in order to find out what day of the week their surgery is held, and then make an appointment.
• Before going to see an MP the Briefing Note produced by the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship should be read and used as a basis for the surgery meeting. If the MP concerned is on the 'Target MP List' then use should be made of the situation: if the MP has a small majority, the voting power of churches in the constituency could be stressed and if the MP has abstained from previous votes, their unease about the Bill should be developed by highlighting the unforeseen consequences of the Bill.

2) Writing to MPs

An alternative way of voicing concerns to MPs is by writing. This can be done either through the post, by e-mail, or by fax. As a basis for any such communication, the Briefing Note contained in this pack is helpful because any correspondence with an MP should be factually accurate, present a clear argument, and show consideration of the issues involved. An Example Letter is also contained in this pack and can be used as a basis for communications or just as a stimulus. However, making letters individual by expressing the sentiments of the briefing sheets in your own words as well as focussing on the aspects you feel most strongly about, is to be commended. The following websites may be of help:

a) The Parliament website can be used to find the postal and e-mail addresses for MPs in their constituencies. All MPs can be reached in Westminster at:

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

The switchboard telephone number is: 020 7219 3000

b) MPs can be faxed too.