The play Stitching is "an insult to human dignity from beginning to end", the chairman of the Classification Board insisted this morning.

The play was banned by the board last month but the producers have said they will defy the ban.

Teresa Friggieri in a short statement this morning insisted that the play cannot be staged.

"The producers know they are breaking the law, it is their business," she said.

"They also know that legal proceedings which they themselves started, are now in progress, and they should at least have the decency to await the outcome of that process."

Mrs Friggieri said the reasons for the ban had been handed to the producers' lawyers in writing. They were that: The play has graphic references to child abuse; the play includes anti-Semitic comments; it includes swearing; sadism and cruelty against innocent victims and other perversions.

"The play is an insult to human dignity from beginning to end" Mrs Friggieri said.

She said it is not the role of the board to defend the law, but only to ensure that it is observed.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.