Ban all religious exemptions for carrying bladed articles in public

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

We call on the Government to remove all legal exemptions that allow individuals to carry knives or bladed articles in public places for religious reasons, ensuring that knife safety laws apply equally to all citizens without exception.

Current laws create a contradiction: while law-abiding citizens are banned from carrying basic self-defence tools like pepper spray, exemptions allow real blades to be carried for religious reasons. Public safety must take absolute precedence. To protect everyone and ensure true equality before the law, knife prohibitions must be absolute, with no exemptions for any faith or tradition.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Ban carrying religious, cultural & ceremonial bladed & pointed items in public
Ban carrying religious, cultural & ceremonial bladed & pointed items in public

Timeline

22 May 2026	Petition opened for signatures
17 Jun 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10

Status Rejected

Rejected 17 Jun 2026

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