‘Huge Mistake’ — Scottish Conservatives Push for Repeal of New Hate Speech Law

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - JUNE 05: First Minister Humza Yousaf answers questions at the Scotti
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

The Scottish Conservatives will introduce a measure this week to repeal the draconian speech restrictions recently imposed by the leftist government of Humza Yousaf, calling on local parliamentarians to admit that the new hate speech law was a “huge mistake”.

Members of the locally devolved Scottish Parliament at Holyrood will be put on the spot this week as to whether they continue to support the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, which has sparked chaos and controversy after coming into effect earlier this month. Now, the Scottish Conservatives will look to put pressure on left-wing Labour Part and Lib-Dem MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) by introducing a measure to repeal the legislation on Wednesday.

Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservative’s shadow justice secretary, said that the new legislation adds an unnecessary burden to police, whom he claimed are already struggling to cope with actual crimes.

“It is proving every bit as unworkable as many critics warned – and must be repealed. As well as being an unacceptable risk to free speech, it is taking a huge toll on Scotland’s police officers. They’re being deluged with thousands of complaints – many of them vexatious from individuals out to settle scores,” he said according to the Scottish Daily Express.

“The Scottish Conservatives were the only party to oppose the SNP legislation when it went through parliament… We now appeal to Labour and Lib Dem MSPs – and the more sensible Nationalists – to admit they made a huge mistake and back our call for its repeal,” Findlay added.

So far, the left-wing Labour Party has said that it would not seek to repeal the legislation, however, it may be forced into an about-face given the political opportunity of dealing a blow to the bill’s champion First Minister Humza Yousaf, whose popularity rating has plummeted in the wake of the controversial rollout of the law.

A poll conducted in the second week of the implementation of the bill found that just 29 per cent of supporters of Yousaf’s Scottish National Party (SNP) feel that the first minister is doing a good job, compared to 36 per cent who felt their leader was performing badly.

Meanwhile, a separate survey saw support for the SNP fall to its lowest level since the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum which the party backed, with the Labour Party now ahead of the leftist-separatist party by a margin of 33 to 31 per cent in Westminster voting intention. This may force Labour into making a political calculation to support the repeal of the hate speech law, even if it falls in line with their own ideological bent.

A Scottish Labour source speaking to the Express claimed that the communication and implementation from the SNP government surrounding the new law were “where the problems really lie”, suggesting that the party is philosophically in favour of criminalising so-called hate speech.

The new speech restrictions outlaw statements believed to “stir up hatred” against several protected minority groups, even if the comments were not intended to do so and if they were made in the privacy of one’s own home. Those found guilty of breaching the law face up to seven years in prison.

Senior Scottish police figures have warned that the law is being weaponised by activists seeking to go after their political opponents as well as by ordinary people seeking to settle personal scores against their fellow citizens.

Police have been deluged with an average of over 1,000 complaints under the law, with Police Scotland figures showing that officers recorded 7,152 complaints in the first week of the law, alone. The local law enforcement agency has vowed to consider every complaint lodged, leading to warnings that focus on real-world crimes could fall by the wayside as manpower is devoted to policing speech.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said over the weekend: “Humza Yousaf’s hate crime law has proved to be as big a disaster as its numerous critics warned him it would be. As well as being an unacceptable attempt to curtail free speech, it’s a bureaucratic nightmare for our overstretched police, who simply can’t cope with the deluge of complaints it’s led to.”

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