What does the Scottish Hate Crime and Public Order Act really say? Michael Foran thecritic.co.uk/what-does-the-…

Theatre censorship is just one risk back on the menu. Campaigners such as Free to Disagree (backed by Index on Censorship) forced a climbdown despite Humza Yousaf's wish to have the law cover “the public performance of a play". But police are training as if theatre is still covered.

My thoughts on Scotland's Hate Crime Act for Free to Disagree. A bùrach that threatens free speech and the integrity of the police. freetodisagree.scot/opinion-scotla…

The Scottish hate crime law will force police to make cuts, senior officers have warned, as staff work overtime to deal with the volume of complaints. Police Scotland has been inundated with more than 6,000 complaints since the Hate Crime law took effect. telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/0…

The Scottish Police Federation has consistently raised concerns about the Hate Crime Act. It knows the needs of front line officers, and the huge pressures they are facing. MSPs should listen.

Around 8,000 reports of hate crime have been made in the first week of the Hate Crime Act coming into force, The Telegraph reports. Today ScotsPolFed warns: “This legislation will have an impact on resources and our ability to deliver effective policing across Scotland”.

A top police officer says he suspects many officers have still not received training on new hate crime legislation, leading to them “making it up on a case-by-case basis”. scotsman.com/news/politics/…

Only 3.8% of hate crime law complaints have been authentic so far, Police Scotland says. Official data shows that 7,152 reports were received in the first week of the law's operation. theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/a…

"So far, academics have been given little clarity about how the Hate Crime Act could affect them. This, in itself, is creating self-censorship and fear" - Romina Frohar. spectator.co.uk/article/scotla…

Free to Disagree allies Jamie Gillies and Hardeep Singh took part in a podcast on free speech and Scotland’s Hate Crime Act. You can listen to it here 🎧globalindiannetwork.com/free-speech-ja…

Scotland's cash-strapped police force spent more than £60,000 on its 'Hate Monster' hate crime campaign, the Mail reports. The initiative was slammed for demonising young working class men, and suggesting people from poorer backgrounds are more 'hateful'.

Half of Scots want the Hate Crime Act ditched, a poll shows, as it’s revealed 10,000 reports were received in its first month of operation. A senior lawyer has labelled it “unworkable”.