Scotland’s far-left First Minister Humza Yousaf has tried to brand the outpouring of protests against the government’s strict new speech controls as a fabrication by the “right wing.”
On Monday, the controversial Hate Crime and Public Order Act (Scotland) came into force, making it illegal to commit offensive acts against various protected groups on the basis of characteristics such as age or disability, even if they are committed in one’s own home. Speech and acts that “incite hatred” have been criminalized. , race, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity. Anyone who violates the new law faces up to seven years in prison, even if it is determined that they did not intend to incite hatred, and even if it is thought to be merely the result of their words.
The free speech ban has drawn widespread criticism from Scottish law enforcement officials and prominent figures including: Harry potter JK Rowling, an author and Scottish resident, was arrested by police on Monday after vowing to continue referring to transgender people who are biologically male as men. Siobhan Brown, a cabinet minister in Yousaf’s left-wing separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) government, said this week: Said ‘Misgendering’ someone on social media could lead to criminal charges under new hate crime laws.
The bill sparked international backlash, with comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan slamming Yousaf’s government as “insane.” report The law could be used to crack down on what comedians say on stage and during other theatrical performances, Logan said, adding it could have a negative impact on the annual Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival in the Scottish capital. warned that it may give.Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the Scottish law is proven “Why is it so important to protect free speech?”
JK Rowling arrested by Scottish police for criticizing transgender people as new hate crime laws come into forcehttps://t.co/3Udcxz2Y4K
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 1, 2024
Hitting back at mounting criticism of the bill he spearheaded during Nicola Sturgeon’s time as attorney general, First Minister Humza Yousaf downplayed opponents, including long-standing Liberals such as Logan and Rowling, as mere right-wing attacks. I tried.
“Obviously, these are right-wing actors, and I think it’s clear that the fact that they’re introducing a bill to crack down on hate, especially from someone like Joe Rogan, is never going to get them sympathy. So I’m not necessarily surprised by his criticism. What I’m saying is that when it comes to new crimes, the threshold for crime is actually very high. Your behavior is threatening or abusive; It must be intended to incite hatred,” Yousaf said in a statement. report by Scottish Daily Express.
“And I’ve asked this question of many of the people who have opposed this law: “They’re trying to do something that’s threatening or abusive and incites hatred that they don’t think should be prosecuted.” Can you give me an example of something you did?’ And the answer never comes. So the standards are very high, the bill has built-in protections for freedom of expression, and of course the police will not be able to help spread disinformation. He has made it clear that he does not intend to target comedians or playwrights, as those in the department have suggested.
“We are very confident that we have a strong bill that protects people from the rising tide of hate we are seeing around the world.”
Scotland led by anti-free speech separatists who want to reduce the number of white people in public office https://t.co/zc2JgQBKaO
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 27, 2023
But despite the claims of far-left ministers, who remains? deeply unpopular Yousaf’s own police force in the country has issued him with a legal warning, a year after he replaced the scandal-hit Nicola Sturgeon without relying on voters.
In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee, the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said: warned The law could be “used as a weapon” by “some of the country’s activists” and its police officers are not adequately trained to enforce the law.
Additionally, Chief Superintendent Rob Hay of the Scottish Association of Police Superintendents (ASPS) warned that the legislation could damage the reputation of the police force among the public, particularly those who feel they are being unfairly persecuted. .
“We may find ourselves in a position where members of the public will be very upset that details of behavior that does not meet the criteria of a crime are being recorded and kept. There are two things that could be damaging: whether the police response was as expected, and whether the police were overly involved in non-criminal matters,” Hay said. Said.
Exclusive: SNP is pushing for hate crime legislation to target political opponents, says Reclaim candidate Leo Kearse https://t.co/6eO4iM7eG5
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 5, 2021
There are also concerns that citizens will have their police records tainted even if they are found not to have committed a crime. Scottish MP Murdo Fraser recently revealed that comments on social media comparing people who identify as non-binary to people who identify as cats were recorded by police as a “hate incident”. He threatened to file a lawsuit against the police. They found that his comments did not violate any laws at the time.
Further supporting Yousaf’s assertion that opposition to speech restrictions is just a right-wing phenomenon, nearly 1,000 people gathered outside the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood on Monday to protest against the law.demonstrators express concern They say the law could have a chilling effect on speech and could be used by left-wing governments to impose their ideology on other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke out against the law on Tuesday when asked about JK Rowling. saying “People who say common sense things about biological sex should not be criminalized. That’s clearly not right,” he said, adding: “We have a proud tradition of free speech.” .
of Harry potter A writer and passionate feminist, he also attracted support from Brexit leader Nigel Farage. Said: “We have to get back to the idea that we should be able to say what we think, even if others are offended. What will bloom then? Sticks and stones could break my bones.” But words will never hurt me, let’s get back to it.”
Transgender critics are like white supremacists, Scottish left-wing MP says https://t.co/SGBcgYyy0n
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 10, 2023
