Scotland’s hate crime laws which come into effect on 1st April, are unfortunately no joke.
This post provides an extract from the Video Channel “New Culture Forum” with a thought provoking discussion of Scotland’s draconian new legislation and its implications.
This legislation essentially criminalizes core elements of free speech including in your home.
This is on the basis if someone (anyone?) deems that something you said has ill will or malice on the basis of age or religion or disability or sexual orientation or trans identity, if that person or another person sees it that way then you can be arrested and potentially convicted and even imprisoned for up to seven years.
“One of the most appalling pieces ever to have been put forward before to a legislature in the western world as you say it comes hot on the heels of similar legislation in Ireland and there’s evidence of this also happening elsewhere.”
Join the protest in Edinburgh, 1:30pm Monday April 1st 2024 at Holyrood
We see something similar also in Canada where now there’s legislation being proposed by the Trudeau government which will in effect allow judges to put you under house arrest if they think that you are potentially liable in the future to commit a hate crime. That’s thought crime – we know now it’s not happening here yet but there is no reason not to think that something similar could be in the cards.
This is a very worrying turn and it’s happening everywhere, but Scotland really is Ground Zero when it comes to this because it covers everything. Not just speech, but if you play a video to somebody, or just send a text message or forward an email, that could also count. I used to love certain comedians from the 1970s. But possession of those videos could potentially be illegal and count as being part of this . These are very, very worrying times.
It’s such a badly drafted piece of legislation because it’s so subjective, there’s no way to actually know whether what you’re saying is a crime or it’s not. It’s a fundamental principle of any civilized country that you should know whether you are or are not committing a crime.
Prime Minister Rishi sunak has said that well sort of, he disapproved of it . He said he’s a believer in free speech and this will have a chilling effect. This term that’s used all the time “a chilling effect” is to me not adequate for what’s going on. It’s sort of it’s it’s like almost this will be a hindrance to free speech – no! We’re not talking just about a hindrance are We? it’s far worse than a chilling effect. Things like trigger warnings and cancellations have a chilling effect on free speech, but when something’s actually substantiated in law that’s far beyond chilling. That’s actually a serious reason to to stop this thing.
The legislation is absolutely appalling and its so subjective. If I say to you, “guess what Amy’s just said” and you say “really?” but you didn’t even hear it yourself, you are entitled to go to the police and report it.
This is not a new thing in that the law is increasingly becoming more and more subjective and more and more based on feelings and psychological harm and so on. But I think with this particular legislation the definition of a hate crime is a crime which is based on Prejudice. Well Prejudice isn’t the same as hate and there are unsubstantiated assumptions. I would also add, so what if you do hate them? If someone hates me in a general way and they attack me because because of that or they hate me because I’m a woman and they attack me – the issue is that they’ve been violent to me and that that’s the crime. I don’t really care what’s going on inside their head. I don’t think that feelings or emotions like hate should be brought into the law. Why is it specifically hate – why not jealousy, or Envy or or resentment? it it makes no sense.
The law is becoming more and more open to interpretation which means it can be used to prop up the ideology that is preferred by those in power. that’s the issue of this. the subjective element that we get with the most hate crimes is whereby the “hate” is in the eyes or views of anyone at all who perceives it to be hatred.
Ministers of Scotland have got themselves into knots trying to explain what actually constitutes hate crime. and they keep saying look to the Scottish police advice on this. The Scottish Police website defines a hate crime as any crime which is understood by the victim or any other person as being motivated wholy or partly by malice or ill will towards a social group. I mean What on earth does that mean? You’ve already got crimes against harassment, so this is about protecting minority groups against being offended. But nobody has the right not to be offended – it’s a crucial part of any free democracy.
It’s very dangerous because if I shout something at a at man for doing something like diving in front of my car or something that’s fine, but if it was a black woman then they could easily interpret that same comment made to them as being racist or misogynistic when that’s not the case. Suddenly their identity becomes more relevant and then in court, those are aggravating situations which are taken into account when it comes to sentencing. I find that so distressing.
Other proteced characteristics such as gender and transgender and so on will mean that potentially gender critical feminists such as JK Rowling who lives in Edinburgh could potentially be arrested for speaking out about some of the the harms that we’re seeing like Tavistock or just saying that a man can’t become a woman. All of these laws are being done and there is more and more division in our society. There’s more and more civil unrest but it’s targeting absolutely the wrong thing and it will be used in the wrong way. There are many trans radical activists who were saying that they are going to be reporting JK Rowling on the first day that this comes into force and they want her to get arrested and so forth that’s going to be a big test. I never like stooping down to the this sort of level and I don’t like using this sort of legislation, but I think if that’s the way things are going to go people in Scotland should start reporting Humza yusf for that anti-white speech – you know source for the goose source for the gander I found that very offensive. I think if enough people start calling out anti-white racism and suddenly all of these champions of the left end up being charged and maybe we will actually get some common sense being restored to things.
The full discussion is included in the video above. The demonstration will be at 1:30pm outside Holyrood on 1st April.