Culture Secretary Chris Smith warns against art censorship

Culture Secretary Chris Smith has warned of the dangers of censorship in the wake of a row over an exhibition featuring photos of naked children. Mr Smith was speaking after police had visited a gallery in London after complaints about some of the photographs. The minister would not speak directly about the police visit but said: "I am much more worried about paedophile material that's available on the Internet than about an art gallery somewhere in the middle of London." He said: "We must be very careful in this country before we start censoring things that are happening, either in newspapers or in art galleries."

source: Article 'Smith warns against art censorship'; news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1212432.stm; BBC News; 11 March 2001