This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Executive to take action against hate crime
05/06/2003
The Executive will take action to address crimes
motivated by prejudice, the Parliament was told today.
Communities Minister Maragaret Curran announced the
establishment of a working group on 'hate crime' - defined
as crimes motivated by prejudice, such as those perpetrated
on the grounds of a victim's sexual orientation or
disability.
This follows legislation in the Criminal Justice Act
(Scotland) 2003, making aggravations motivated by religious
prejudice a statutory offence.
Ms Curran said:
"Prejudice is an unacceptable reality in many of our
communities. Many of the crimes committed in our streets
have their roots in people's prejudices, whether it is
hatred of another person's religion, race or some other
aspect of their personality. Although the term may not be
part of everyday language, hate crime is not new.
"The effects of these crimes can be devastating to
individuals and their families, not least in damaging the
confidence people have in their communities. That is why we
are seeking advice from those with experience and expertise
in this area, on the most appropriate action to take.
"We are committed to building a Scotland in which people
feel safe. Solutions to the problems caused by hate crime
will not be reached overnight but the Working Group is a
starting point in tackling the issue and rebuilding the
confidence in our communities."
The Executive made a commitment to convene a Working
Group during the Stage 2 debate on the Criminal Justice
Bill in February. The Working Group will contribute to a
consultation paper on the ways to address the problem of
hate crime.
The Group will meet shortly to determine their remit. It
is envisaged that the Group will have wide representation
including voluntary sector organisations campaigning for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT) communities,
the elderly, equal rights and the disabled. It will
contribute to the consultation paper which the Executive is
likely to produce in the Autumn.
The Executive set up a Cross Party Working Group on
Possible Legislation to Tackle Religious Hatred, which
reported in December 2002. The group concluded that
legislation was desirable, in concert with a package of
other measures to combat religious hatred. During Stage 3
of the Criminal Justice Bill, the Scottish Executive
supported an amendment to codify aggravations motivated by
religious prejudice, which became part of the Criminal
Justice (Scotland) Act 2003. A consultation on the
non-legislative recommendations in the Working Group's
report finished on March 14, 2003.
Racial aggravations are a statutory offence underThe
Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Criminal Justice Act
(Scotland) 2003 makes religious aggravations a statutory
offence.