More than 8 in 10 respondents to a Holyrood consultation want stronger free speech protections in the controversial Hate Crime Bill and just 1 in […]
Month: February 2021
Eleventh hour wrangling over Hate Crime Bill a cause for alarm, campaigners say
PRESS RELEASE Campaigners have criticised a last-ditch attempt to fix free speech provisions in the Hate Crime Bill, days before a final vote on the […]
Free to Disagree response: Consultation on freedom of expression provisions
Dear Committee members, Thank you for the time you have spent scrutinising the Hate Crime and Public Order Bill over the last ten months. It […]
Yousaf’s refusal to answer ‘sex’ question should alarm us all
Jamie Gillies, Free to Disagree spokesman During a meeting of Holyrood’s Justice Committee yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Humza Yousaf faced an interesting line of questioning from […]
Campaigners urge halt as hate bill clears second hurdle
Free speech campaigners have urged MSPs to delay scrutiny of controversial hate crime proposals as the Government’s contentious Hate Crime Bill passes its second hurdle. […]
Time to pause hate crime plans
Jamie Gillies, Free to Disagree spokesman One year after the government published its contentious Hate Crime Bill, the clamour over these plans shows little sign […]
English law chiefs say dinner table chats should not come under hate crime laws as Scot Gov takes opposite approach
The case for a ‘dwelling defence’ in Scottish Government hate crime proposals has been bolstered after English law chiefs abandoned a plan to scrap a […]
HOLYROOD URGED TO PAUSE DIVISIVE HATE CRIME PROPOSALS
Critics have urged MSPs to defer scrutiny of controversial hate crime proposals until after the May election due to ongoing concerns about an erosion of […]
Time to pause hate crime plans
Dear MSP, We the undersigned have serious concerns about Part 2 of the Scottish Government’s Hate Crime and Public Order Bill, and increasingly so in […]
Jim Sillars: Free, open debate is best antidote to hatred
Jim Sillars Is the hammer of the law the best way to tackle human failings, or is the cleansing, disinfecting air of open discussion more […]
FREE SPEECH CONCERNS ‘WHOLLY UNRESOLVED’ AFTER SNP WITHDRAWS KEY AMENDMENT TO HATE CRIME BILL
Concerns over a threat to free speech remain “wholly unresolved” after the latest parliamentary debate on the SNP’s Hate Crime Bill, campaigners have said. This […]
Take action to defend free speech
Stage 2 scrutiny of the Hate Crime Bill will begin on Tuesday 2nd February. Make sure you have your say before proceedings begin. On Tuesday, […]
