Hate Crime. The Elephant in the Room. New event by Make More Noise!

[DJLippy]

To celebrate hate crime awareness week Make More Noise are hosting an event in Manchester www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hate-crime-the-elephant-in-the-room-tickets-87800825633

Feat Julie Bindel, Kathleen Stock and Sarah Phillimore

From social media to hate crime legislation, women are offered little legal protection in an increasingly violent world. Reports of sexual assault are soaring but conviction rates are falling. Twitter routinely bans women for stating basic biological truths yet allows its users to threaten women with rape and violence. Women who wish to discuss a government consultation which will directly impact their legal rights risk their livelihoods; as the courts have ruled that a belief in the immutability of biological sex is 'incompatible with human dignity and fundamental rights of others.'

Despite all this women are still not protected in hate crime legislation. How can a law be trusted when it ignores the safety of half of the population? What lessons need to be learned? To mark hate crime awareness week Make More Noise decided to invite some of the UK's top feminists, legal minds and academics to discuss what the authorities can do to address this glaring social injustice.

[Redshoeblueshoe]

Thanks DJ

[Doobigetta]

I’m not really sure what I think about making misogyny a hate crime. It sounds like a no-brainer, but I’ve seen so much damage done by TRAs using “hate incidents” as a weapon against people who’ve done nothing wrong that I kind of don’t want feminists to sink to the same level. I think the whole thing has made me more inclined to support freedom of speech above everything, but that makes me uncomfortable in some respects as well. I’ll be interested to hear what these speakers have to say, given that they are very far from fragile little snowflakes themselves.

[BingBongSong]

I've just bought my ticket!

[Ereshkigal]

If they make misogyny a hate crime I think it is inevitable that it will be weaponised by MTFs, at least against GC men, if not women.

[popehilarious]

Hate crime is where someone actually commits a crime (eg assault, harrassment), where the motivation is hostility or prejudice towards the victim's disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Note lack of 'sex' in that list.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with having hate crimes as a type of existing crimes.

It's 'hate incidents' that are the vague, poorly defined 'things' particularly open to abuse.

[Ereshkigal]

Also the trouble is trumping up things as "hate crimes" that wouldn't be bothered with otherwise. Public Order Act, Malicious Communications are very broad and catch all. However as women, even though technically things that are said to us which might fall under those laws, no one cares.

[DreadPirateLuna]

Possibly this will seem an ignorant question, but how are hate crimes treated differently than crimes not motivated by hatred of the listed groups? If A assaults a gay man due to homophobia, and B assaults another man because he doesn't like the look on his face, how are A and B treated differently?

[Goosefoot]

I'm not a huge fan of the idea of hate crimes - I was always doubtful but I can see why they might be useful in terms of looking at statistics for various purposes. Over the past, maybe five years? though, i've largely come to the conclusion that they do more harm than good so far as being an actual separate kind of crime.

[popehilarious]

I think the sentencing can be harsher if it was a hate crime. Sentencing uplift.

[SisyphusRocks]

Bump

[DJLippy]

If you want an idea of what we might be discussing check out our podcast Suffragette City Radio which covers some of these topics makemorenoisemanc.wixsite.com/mysite/podcast-1/episode/c6c0bf5c/thirteen-hate-crime

Also - 2/3 of tickets have been sold! If you would like a ticket buy one sooner rather than later!

[Ereshkigal]

I wish I could go, but it's unfortunately a bit far for me this early in the year when I'm broke after Xmas. I'm sure it will be a great event. Any chance of recording/streaming?

[DJLippy]

There are plans to record and we hope to we can sort out better sound this time!

[DJLippy]

You can follow our Youtube channel if you want to make sure you don't miss the event when it drops. Also, our podcast is streamed through it was well

[NYnachos]

I'm going!

[Ereshkigal]

Brilliant, thanks DJ!

[DJLippy]

Bump

[DJLippy]

If you want to get a flavour of what will be discussed on Saturday check out this article featuring Julie Bindel, Kathleen Stock, Sarah Philimore and Kate Harris
makemorenoisemanc.wixsite.com/mysite/post/hate-crime-the-elephant-in-the-room
Also, we just released a new batch of tickets but please buy them quickly if you would like to come along because they are selling out FAST. You can find a link to the eventbright in the article above

[DJLippy]

Videos from the talk now live!

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqsHRSTPNgFF7hpnsVGUyP-OtJz-EC_cv

[MouseandCat]

Thank you

[PreseaCombatir]

I don’t agree with the concept of hate crimes. At all.
I think you should be punished for the crime you commit, not the reason behind it. It’s a bit too thought crime for me.
What’s the difference for example between:

Stabbing someone because of the colour of their skin, or sexuality, and
Stabbing someone because they looked at you the wrong way?
The crime is the stabbing, and that should be what you are punished for.

[PreseaCombatir]

Saying that, I think that regardless of my personal feelings about hate crimes, if you’re going to have them, it’s illogical that sex is missed off the list. But not one little bit surprising unfortunately.