Scotland's controversial hate crime bill to finally come into force next month

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Scottish Government's new controversial hate crime law will finally come into force next month. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act was passed by MSPs in March 2021 but it has been one of the most controversial pieces of legislation debated by MSPs in the last few years It created new offences of “stirring up” hatred - which previously applied only to race - by extending it protected characteristics such as disability, race, religion and sexual orientation.

Critics feared the initial proposals could have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and the Government faced a backlash. In the final debate before its passage, First Minister Humza Yousaf – then serving as justice secretary – said no-one would be found to have stirred up hatred “for solely stating their belief – even if they did so in a robust manner”.

Ahead of the legislation taking effect, the Scottish Government has launched a public awareness campaign aimed at highlighting the impact of hate crime.In a statement on Monday, community safety minister Siobhian Brown said: “For those impacted by hatred and prejudice, the results can be traumatic and life-changing.“While we respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression, nobody in our society should live in fear or be made to feel like they don’t belong, and the Scottish Government is committed to building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice.“Hate crime is behaviour that is both criminal and rooted in prejudice.

It can be verbal, physical, online or face to face.“The new law will give greater protections to those who need it and helps to form the basis of understanding about the type of behaviour that is not acceptable in our society.“We must do all we can to give victims