Petition

Remove Religious Exemptions for Carrying Bladed Weapons in Public

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Require religious blades carried in public, including kirpans, to comply with UK knife laws. Religious freedom should be respected, but public safety and equality before the law must apply to everyone. Religious blades should be blunt-edged, ceremonial in nature, and not readily usable as weapons.
UK knife laws restricts carrying of blades in public and prohibit fixed-blade and locking knives without a lawful reason. However, religious exemptions allow the carrying of kirpans and other religious blades. Freedom of religion should continue to be protected, but exemptions should reflect modern public safety standards. Religious blades carried in public should be blunt-edged, ceremonial in nature, and subject to safeguards consistent with the principles of existing UK knife legislation.

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 this 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

2 Jun 2026 Petition opened for signatures
18 Jun 2026 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 18 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.