That the Parliament believes that hate crimes are a blight on society in Scotland and must be dealt with robustly; considers that the development of hate crime law in Scotland has been carried out in a piecemeal fashion, resulting in fragmented legislation; notes that calls have been made for the consolidation of hate crime law for more than a decade; believes that freedom of expression is a critically important human right, and that Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) protects it within the context of factors such as the prevention of crime and protecting the rights of others; recognises that stirring up racial hatred has been the basis of criminal offences since 1986 and is clearly compatible with ECHR; welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to examine the development of an offence on misogynistic harassment and looks forward to the working group on misogynistic harassment’s output on this matter, and commits to listen to all serious views on ways to improve the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill as part of the normal process of parliamentary scrutiny and to consider how best to ensure that all forms of hate crime are taken seriously.
Supported by:
Donald Cameron, Murdo Fraser, Graham Simpson, Liz Smith, Adam Tomkins
Result 89 for, 30 against, 0 abstained, 10 did not vote Vote Passed
Scottish National Party
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Scottish Labour
Scottish Green Party
Scottish Liberal Democrats
Independent
No Party Affiliation
That the Parliament believes that hate crimes are a blight on society in Scotland and must be dealt with robustly; notes that the right to freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy and must never be compromised; believes that the significant number of responses to the Scottish Government consultation on its proposed Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill highlight the significant and valid concerns that the Bill would be an attack on free speech, and urges the Scottish Government to accept these criticisms, remove its proposed Bill and immediately begin work with stakeholders and others to draft the legislation that is needed to tackle hate crime in Scotland, while not threatening to make free speech a crime.
Submitted by: John Finnie, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party, Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Supported by: Patrick Harvie
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Result 31 for, 30 against, 58 abstained, 10 did not vote Vote Passed
Submitted by: Humza Yousaf, Glasgow Pollok, Scottish National Party, Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Supported by: Ash Regan
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Result 58 for, 55 against, 6 abstained, 10 did not vote Vote Passed
Submitted by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Submitted by: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date lodged: Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Current status: Taken in the chamber on Wednesday, September 9, 2020