Scotland's Hate Speech law

[cromwell]

Will probably be used to prosecute JK Rowling and as a back door blasphemy law to protect Islam; in a lot of people's eyes.

[Workingman]

The problem for the Scots is that their parliament is unicameral - it does not have a second chamber akin to the House of Lords. Anything passed in the chamber goes through on the nod.

What is probably needed to overcome this stupid and draconian law is a campaign of mass disobedience where people act contrary to the wording of the law and do it regularly and in unison.

Tie up police time, flood the courts with cases and refuse to pay any fines... and just keep doing it. Then vote out the SNP and start again.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sco ... th-danger/

[Suff]

Since the repeal of the warrant sales law in Scotland this has become a valid action. Before that, as the community charge protestors found, you could have your assets sold out from under you if you didn't pay the fines. Or even just the tax.

It is a dodgy thing refusing to pay fines if you are taken to court. I took a Laptop supplier to the small claims court for my money back when they didn't supply my laptop. When they refused to refund me, or supply the laptop, I went back to the court and they sent the bailiffs round. Money appeared within a week from a personal account. The company was going under but still had to pay.

This legislation is extremely dangerous in the way it is written. It literally gives the government and the courts the right to decide that just about anything is hate speech then apply punishments as if you were the second coming of Hitler and the death camps.

The bad part is that the first court cases will come after the next election. Giving the government 4 years of free rein before having to face the voters at the polls again.

[Workingman]

OK, pay the fines, but do everything (legal) to delay those payments. It's not a one person v a shop thing, it's tens of thousands (or more) clogging up the system... (police and court time) and keeping it clogged up. It might work.

[Suff]

OK, pay the fines, but do everything (legal) to delay those payments. It's not a one person v a shop thing, it's tens of thousands (or more) clogging up the system... (police and court time) and keeping it clogged up. It might work.

I agree but if you are the person who managed to get dragged through the courts and sent to jail for a while, it kind of sucks.

[Workingman]

It is now law and there are already signs that groups will do whatever to challenge it and tie up the police and courts.

J K Rowling has insisted that the police arrest her for her remarks about trans issues, there will be others on many other issues.

Free speech is dead if this prevails.

[cromwell]

This legislation is extremely dangerous in the way it is written.

Yes, because it is subjective. What offends one person won't offend another.
It will be deliberately used as a political tool to supress views that Scottish government doesn't like, and to intimidate those who would say them.
What Yousaf has done though is to criminalise any criticism of Islam; I'm pretty sure anything like that will be found to be "hate speech".

So he has got his blasphemy law.

It will be interesting to see whether Scottish Labour, should they win the next election, cancel this law. I'm betting that they won't.