Tue Sep 26, 2023 – 10:14 am EDTTue Sep 26, 2023 – 10:38 am EDT
EDINBURGH, Scotland (LifeSiteNews) — Long-delayed hate speech legislation for Scotland will be activated in November once Scottish police are adequately trained and familiar with its complicated policies and frameworks.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill became law on April 23, 2021. The delay in enacting the bill was due to “training, guidance and communications planning.”
Under the unprecedented bill, offenses are considered “aggravated” if they involve prejudice on the basis of age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or variations in sex characteristics. The bill states that crimes motivated by prejudice will be treated more seriously and will not be tolerated by society. Criminal courts can generally take into account any prejudice when sentencing a person.
The Scottish government stated, “Whilst an operational matter for Police Scotland, we welcome any measures being taken to tackle hate crime. The new legal protections that the Hate Crime Act will introduce for people targeted by hate crime, including due to race and disability, will soon be realised while at the same time ensuing freedom of expression is protected.”
In an interview
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