Please sign this petition: show the government that disability hate crime must be taken seriously

[Toffeefudgecake]

Following the appalling story in the news about the boy with Asperger syndrome who was tortured by three men here, the NAS and Mencap are working together to get the government to take disability hate crime as seriously as other hate crimes (racial/religious).

Sign the NAS/Mencap petition here

Mencap wants to build up a picture of hate crime (the government admits it does not know the true scale of hate crime affecting people with a disability) and is asking people to send in their experiences of hate crime here

For those who want to know more about the extent of bullying against some of the most vulnerable members of our society - those whom we should be protecting - watch the recent documentary, Tormented Lives, here.

"..they are generally the part of society least able to defend themselves."

Absolutely, Small. The children I know with special needs are utterly vulnerable and reliant on the love and care of those around them.

I expect some think there is someone wrong with giving someone else's email address away. It comes across like one of those facebook things telling you to send it to 10 other people.

smallwhitecat hit on something though. So we'd make it a serious crime to hurt disabled people as well as other races. We'll then need to make a special law for old people and one for the the young. One for those of us who are not terribly big and strong and so on.

How about just making it illegal to mistreat humans and actually enforcing it. Currently we seem to be letting people off for crimes because we're a bit short of money to put them in prison

I am sorry but, although I agree that such crimes are despicable, I disagree more with the idea of "hate crime".

One recalls the conversation with Gene Hunt, in "Life on Mars":

"I think we need to examine the possibility that this was a hate crime."

Gene Hunt - "What?! As opposed to one of those "I-really-really-love-you" murders?"

Lifting some victims above others because of their membership of some 'group' is just wrong.

I loved 'Life on Mars' and Gene Hunt makes a great point there. I agree that these crimes are awful no matter who they are committed against. But I also think some people in society, such as the disabled, are more vulnerable than others and need extra protection.