How Scotland made a mess of its hate crime law — in a week of chaos
by Alex Massie and Sian Bradley, The Times:
After a four-year battle to pass the SNP’s bill, more than 6,000 complaints have already been reported. What are Scots to think?
Good intentions may often be the mother of calamity. The new Scottish hate crime act was designed to protect vulnerable minorities and consolidate existing legislation on hate crimes. It was intended, as Humza Yousaf, the first minister, has said, to promote a “zero tolerance” approach to “stirring up hatred”.
But, one week in, the result is a mess. Although the police and the government had three years to prepare, neither appears to have anticipated the scale of the reaction: already there have been 6,000 reports under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act. Police, who were already overstretched, are well into hundreds of thousands of pounds worth overtime. Yousaf hoped this law would bring clarity: instead, confusion reigns.
Almost inevitably, the fight began with JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author who has become the lightning rod for Scotland’s culture warfare. On a cold, grey Monday morning, Rowling came out swinging on Twitter/X about the idea that “misgendering” trans women would now be considered a hate crime.
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