Where debating everything under the sun is only the beginning

Hate crime bill: Hate talk in homes ‘must be prosecuted’
Mark McLaughlin
Wednesday October 28 2020, 12.01am GMT, The Times

Humza Yousaf said journalists and theatre directors should face the courts if their work is deemed to deliberately stoke up prejudice
[picture caption]

Conversations over the dinner table that incite hatred must be prosecuted under Scotland’s hate crime law, the justice secretary has said.
Journalists and theatre directors should also face the courts if their work is deemed to deliberately stoke up prejudice, Humza Yousaf said.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill has been condemned by critics including the Scottish Catholic Church, police representatives, academics and artists. It will introduce an offence of stirring-up of hatred against people with protected characteristics, including disability, sexual orientation and age.
The bill is loosely based on the Public Order Act 1986, which outlaws threatening, abusive or insulting words and behaviour but includes a “dwelling defence” that states the threatening language cannot be prosecuted if it is spoken in a [Times link]

Miners convicted during the year-long strike in the 1980s are to be pardoned by the Scottish government.
It is believed about 1,400 miners were arrested and more than 500 were convicted during the national dispute.
A review commissioned by ministers said it was unlikely many of the miners would not face prosecution for their actions today.
The Scottish government said the collective pardon would require new legislation.
It said it would also apply to miners who had died since the 1984-85 strike.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the pardon was intended to acknowledge "the disproportionate impacts arising from miners being prosecuted and convicted during the strike - such as the loss of their job".

The National Union of Mineworkers (Scotland) has welcomed the announcement.

more

Jeez I find myself agreeing with rj.