An MSP (Murdo Fraser) threatening legal action against Police Scotland after his twitter/x post was logged as a hate incident

Hopefully this will change at least one of two things.

It is horrific that a non crime hate incident can be recorded against you without you being notified of it at the time.

And that you cannot appeal or clarify the context ever.

Ideally this MSP attack with kill the noncrime hate recording system, as well as this utterly ridiculous reporting hurty feels law.

So you don’t know a hate crime has been registered against you and you can’t appeal it, but it can revealed against you in enhanced disclosure when you’re applying for jobs. Outrageous.

I don’t have a share token but it’s here and can be read via the usual archive site: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hate-crime-laws-chilling-effect-is-already-being-felt-j00dzq33n

Wasn't Scotland's glorious leader recently attempting to persuade everyone that the act was being misinterpreted and Things Like This Would Never Happen?

Does anyone have a share token for the times article?

This is going to be an avalanche of unholy mess and the SNP have unleashed it knowing full well what they're doing, despite a whole lot of people trying to explain to them why it's wrong.

It will be, in practice, a small group of unstable activists who will feverishly report everyone and everything everywhere, and it will largely be used to suppress, control and intimidate people from naming reality, defending women's rights in law, resisting the abuse of women, and safeguarding children. Many people are going to be embrangled with police, whose reputation as an establishment for enthusiastic misogyny is well known. Well off males with strong public presence don't have a lot to worry about. Ordinary women will. As we all know, this stuff never stands up in court, but the two years it takes for some nutjob to get you in a court room will wreck your life, your health and your finances. And that's enough to satisfy some thoroughly unpleasant person who wanted to control and punish you.

The Scottish Nasty Party should not have been allowed by Westminster to do this. It's another very big failing on the part of the Tories to add to their list. And Labour would not only fail to do anything, they would enthusiastically join hands and jump in too. Vote Labour and we'll see the same batshit in England as has been caused in Scotland and Wales.

Only for Religion is there a specific mention of protecting free speech.
I thought belief in the immutability of sex was a protected.
Just to be on the safe side, can we set up the Church of the IoS?

Perhaps I shall just hand over Ian MacWhirter’s excellent piece in the Times this morning.

It has occurred to me that a person wary of being recorded on the ‘non hate crimes register’ would be well advised to avoid explaining to any politician or their campaigners on the doorstep or elsewhere why they don’t have your vote. Well done SNP! More silence from those who despair of what you’ve done to Scottish democracy.

The Times Leader today features this new law. I had not realised that a network of "third party centers" for reporting this has been set up, many on University campuses.
The Act refers to words used in performance, but the Diligent and Distinguished Police Scotland have already said they will not prosecute actors and comedians. Only for Religion is there a specific mention of protecting free speech.
The Police have already announced that a lack of resources will prevent them investigating minor crimes such as burglary. But will investigate every report of 'hate'.

David Kennedy Scottish Police Federation general secretary has branded the law a recipe for disaster.

What do you mean 'could'?

This thread shows us it has been happening for years.

And the thing is, you have to do a subject access request to even find out if there is one registered against you.

I see the next elections for the Scottish Parliament have to happen by May 2026. Two and a bit years is a long time. Any chance it could happen earlier? My sense, which may just be wishful thinking, is that the SNP would take a pasting, but with the single transferable vote system they might still be able to cling on.

How come the April Fools Thought Crime Law doesn't conflict with UK law in the same way that the Scottish gender law that got section 35ed did?
Surely it criminalises people in the UK outside of Scotland when they have committed no crime where they live. Isn't that anoher case of Scottish law conflicting with UK law? Why didn't it get section 35ed too?

If a person has an NCHI registered against them would that show up on a criminal record check?

Agree fascist is an accurate description of this horrendous thought crime policing. I really don’t get how so many politicians can’t see that.

I’m in Scotland and ready to leave as soon as family circumstances allow. However I am optimistic because things that make no sense do tend to come out in the wash. It’s just a question of how long it takes. Good on Murdo and many others who are taking this on.

Personally most people I know have little tolerance for this bullshit.

When you put it like that @ArabellaScott then it sounds really very sinister.

I'm really worried about this as well as angry. I'm scared of what our politicians have made law and what our police will do as they are jumping to their tune. I can't believe it; the Scottish government and the Scottish police are making it a crime and will be visiting and potentially arresting people who trust in scientific fact and reality. It's already begun and it's not 1st April yet.

Yes and I'm sure the usual "this is a side issue" contributors will be along any minute now...

(Crickets)

This is excellent news. Once the law starts inconveniencing men, it'll be much more of a problem/priority.

This is an opposition politician having a NCHI recorded against his name for criticising government policy.

I hope the implications of that are crystal clear.

I'm sure that the TRAs would be quite happy if they could become some sort of Cheka or Stasi watching over us all and policing our speech.

But if it sounds east just to pop and name on the register rather than do anything like validate it was a hate incident - judge and jury springs to mind - so it's an easy way to get something off your to do list

" his name appears in police files for expressing a political view."

A politician expressing a political view! How very dare he!

I wish him well in this. Considering there is a cat gender, I am perplexed about what was offensive here. Was it offensive that he said the government shouldn’t be spending time on it.

Or does the reporting trans activist not support cat gender as a valid gender ?

Well if it turns out to be the case, Police Scotland could find their time entirely taken up with going down Twitter rabbit holes instead of investigating real, old skool crimes - you know: drug dealing, burglaries, shoplifting, murder etc.

This hasn't yet been made clear but in terms of Scottish law it seems likely given the way Internet 'publishing' is treated.