Penny Mordaunt mocks SNP's new hate crime laws
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JK Rowling has blasted Humza Yousaf’s “bumbling incompetence” following the introduction of Scotland’s new hate crime law.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into effect on Monday, prompting thousands of complaints in its first few days, including from the Harry Potter author.
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She hit out at Scotland’s First Minister after he branded her remarks about transgender people “offensive and upsetting” despite police ruling that they did not meet the threshold to be considered a hate crime.
The author misgendered a number of trans people, and effectively challenged police to arrest on Twitter, formerly X, earlier this week.
Mr Yousaf appeared to agree with the police assessment that Rowling's posts were not criminal but said that, in his view, her comments were 'offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people'.
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In response, Rowling said: “Most of Scotland is upset and offended by Yousaf’s bumbling incompetence and illiberal authoritarianism, but we aren’t lobbying to have him locked up for it.”
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The First Minister has staunchly defended the new hate crime law, which builds on existing race hate legislation to add further protections for characteristics such as age, disability, transgender identity, religion and those who are intersex.
He said the decision not to treat Rowling's remarks as criminal showed the law was working as intended - by only treating “threatening or abusive” remarks that intend to “stir up” hatred as a crime.
People found guilty of such an offence face up to seven years in prison depending on the severity of the offence.
Mr Yousaf said: “Those new offences that have been created by the act have a very high threshold for criminality.
“The behaviour has to be threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred. So it doesn't deal with people just being offended or upset or insulted.”
He said he is “very, very concerned” by the number of “vexatious” complaints lodged under the country’s new hate crime law in its early days – but he is not surprised.
Mr Yousaf said: “It’s not a huge surprise that when legislation is first introduced there can sometimes be a flurry of vexatious complaints.
“We’ve obviously seen that and I would say to people don’t make vexatious complaints – you should desist – because what you’re doing is wasting precious police resources and time.
“But I am very, very concerned about the fact that we have seen those complaints, but at the same time I know that police are very adept at dealing with vexatious complaints, they do it every day and they know how to treat them.”
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