Police spammed with complaints by neo-Nazis under new Scottish hate crime law

Neo-Nazis and Far-Right Exploit Scotland’s New Hate Crime Law

Neo-Nazi and far-right agitators are exploiting Scotland’s new hate crime law to make vexatious complaints en masse in an attempt to “overwhelm” police systems.

Exploitation of Hate Crime Law

A prominent figure in England’s white nationalist movement is among those urging followers to spam Police Scotland with anonymous online reports, the Observer has found.

Call to Action by Far-Right Group

The leader of a far-right group promoted a private channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram that includes a “call to action” urging members to “mass report”.

Targeting “Anti-White” Hate

Posts in the channel instruct members to log cases of supposed “anti-white” hate, which they say includes a statement on the police force’s website that “young men aged 18-30 are most likely to commit hate crime”.

Overwhelming the System

“At the very least, we want to overwhelm them with reports to waste their time [so that] they eventually give up the whole system,” they wrote, adding that people could report without using their name and even if they didn’t live in Scotland.

The New Hate Crime Legislation in Scotland

The efforts by far-right actors to overwhelm Police Scotland comes after a week in which the country’s new hate crime legislation faced fierce criticism. The law, which came into force on 1 April, says a person commits a criminal offence if they communicate material or behave in a way that a “reasonable person would consider to be threatening or abusive”, with the intention of stirring up hatred, based on a list of protected characteristics.

Protected Characteristics

These include someone’s age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and variations in sex characteristics. It also includes a crime of stirring up hate based on race, colour or nationality, which was already illegal but is now part of the new act.

Controversy and Criticism

The Scottish government says the law gives more protection to victims while protecting free speech. But it has faced controversy for omitting sex from the list of protected characteristics it covers. Ministers say this is because a standalone bill tackling misogyny is in the works.

Stifling Free Speech

Critics also claim the law will stifle free speech, with high-profile figures including JK Rowling, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk among those to have publicly attacked it.

Concerns and Response

This weekend, Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, the leader of the SNP, defended the legislation, stating that “deliberate misinformation” was being “peddled by some bad actors” falsely claiming that it was now a criminal offence to make “derogatory comments” based on the characteristics covered in the act.

Vexatious Complaints

Yousaf warned people against making vexatious complaints. While official figures have not yet been released, Police Scotland reportedly received nearly 4,000 reports in the new law’s first three days.

Impact on Police Resources

Police Scotland said it had seen a “substantial increase” in reporting since the law came into effect but that this had not affected frontline policing. It is understood to have drafted in extra staff, paying them overtime to cope with demand.

Weaponization of the Law

Imran Ahmed, from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said it was “extremely ironic” that the law was being “weaponized” by the same racist and misogynistic “bad actors” that had prompted its creation.

Failure to Address Hate Speech on Social Media

Ahmed argued that the law had “failed to hit the right target” and that the Scottish government had “sought to prosecute speech” rather than social media platforms.

Concerns about Police Resources

Before the law came into effect, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) warned of its impact on police resources. Ch Supt Rob Hay, president of the ASPS, said in a letter to Holyrood’s justice committee that he was concerned the law would be “weaponized” by an “activist fringe” across the political spectrum which could divert police resources from more serious crimes.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels
   • Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

   The article discusses the exploitation of Scotland’s new hate crime law by neo-Nazi and far-right agitators. This issue relates to SDG 16, which aims to promote peace, justice, and strong institutions. The targets mentioned above are relevant to the issues highlighted in the article as they focus on reducing violence, promoting the rule of law, ensuring access to justice, and protecting fundamental freedoms.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres

   The article mentions the controversy surrounding the omission of sex from the list of protected characteristics in Scotland’s hate crime legislation. This issue relates to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality. The targets mentioned above are relevant as they focus on ending discrimination and violence against women and girls.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: theguardian.com

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