Hate Crime

A climbdown by the Scottish government on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill has been confirmed by Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf. The 'stirring up' offence in the bill has now been limited to situations where 'intent' is present. The bill previously stated that an offence would al

The Law Commission in England and Wales has proposed making sex or gender a protected characteristic. This would be added to the currently protected characteristics of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity. The proposals are outlined in a consultation

The Justice Secretary has contacted senior lawyers as he prepares to ditch sections of the Scottish government's controversial hate crime proposals. Humza Yousaf is planning to remove sections of the bill to secure opposition support at Holyrood for the bill.

The cost of implementing the Scottish government's hate crime proposals have been vastly underestimated, according to the body representing the police rank and file. The Scottish Police Federation told Holyrood's Finance and Constitution Committee that the costs set out by the Scottish government we

Scottish Labour has called on the Scottish government to update disaggregated hate crime data as the current figures are seven years out of date. Disaggregated data on racially-motivated hate crime has not been published since 2013-14 and Scottish Labour is calling for updated figures to be released

A letter published today includes support from over 20 individuals and organisations highlighting their “concerns” over the impact on free expression of the widely derided Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. The letter co-ordinated by Humanist Society Scotland has support f

Proposed hate crime legislation could lead to police officers determining free speech and thereby devastate the legitimacy of the police service, according to the Scottish Police Federation, which represents the police rank and file. The SPF made the comments in its consultation response to the Hate

Scottish Labour has expressed 'serious reservations' over the Scottish government's proposed Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. Justice spokesperson James Kelly's submission to the Justice Committee in response to its call for views highlights a number of areas within the bill with pa

There is a real risk of unintended consequences from this noble attempt to provide greater clarity, transparency and consistency in hate crime law, writes Fred Mackintosh QC of Terra Firma Chambers. The Justice Committee’s call for views on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill close

Data published today shows there has been an increase in the number of charges reported in 2019-20 for all categories of hate crime compared to the previous year. Racial crime remains the most commonly reported hate crime. In total 3,038 charges relating to race crime were reported in 2019-20, an in

Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee have launched a call for views on the Scottish government's plans to update hate crime laws. MSPs want to know whether the public, including groups who may be directly impacted by the new law, support the proposals, or whether some parts o

The head of a group representing Scotland's private care providers has joined calls for new hate crime laws to protect the elderly. The call comes as the Scottish government considers expanding hate crime laws to encompass a victim's age, among other things, as an aggravating factor, following a rev

A review of a consultation on hate crime found no consensus on whether the legislative response to crimes motivated by gender should cover women only, although organisations with expertise in women’s issues believe the focus should be on women only. An analysis of responses to the Scottish gov

New hate crime figures published today by the Crown Office show that racial crime remains the most commonly reported hate crime with 2,880 charges in 2018-19. Sexual orientation aggravated crime is the second most common type of hate crime with 1,176 charges reported in 2018-19, an increase of five

Two-thirds (67 per cent) of the 6,736 hate crimes recorded in 2017-18 included a race aggravator, crime statistics published today show. Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland also shows that 16 per cent of hate crimes included a sexual orientation aggravat