Scottish government defends OBA as opposition urges repeal

The SNP has said MSPs vote urging the Scottish government to repeal the Offensive Behaviour At Football Act “threatens to set us back as a country”.

Community safety minister Annabelle Ewing made the comments in the wake of a Holyrood vote which saw opposition parties back the abolition of the act.

SNP MSPs said opponents have not suggested viable alternatives to the 2012 law.

In a motion for debate​, the Conservatives’ Douglas Ross highlighted that “sectarian behaviour and hate crime are a blight on society in Scotland and should not be tolerated under any circumstances”.

He added that “there are laws in place to prosecute acts of hatred” aside from the OBFA.

In addition, the motion “notes with concern that the legal profession has repeatedly criticised the act for being unworkable and badly drafted”, “regrets that the Scottish government hastily pushed the legislation through” and “urges the Scottish government to repeal the act as a matter of priority”.

Ms Ewing said: “ vote threatens to set us back as a country in our efforts to effectively combat prejudice, hate crime and sectarianism and ultimately to drive such behaviour out of Scottish society.

“The result of the vote sends completely the wrong message about how serious Parliament as a whole is about doing so – but the Scottish government remains absolutely committed to that objective.”

She added: “The removal of the Section 6 offence on threatening communications would create a serious gap in the law and leave Scotland lagging behind the rest of the UK – where threats intended to stir up religious hatred have been criminalised since 2006 – yet still those opposing it offer no viable alternatives.”