https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-68688133
Quote:
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Scotland's new hate crime law has come into force. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act criminalises threatening or abusive behaviour intended to stir up hatred based on certain characteristics - including age, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity.
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It's been criticised for not including incidents based on gender.
From on online point if view I think this could become messy as someone breaking this law has to post their remarks whilst in Scotland. If they live near the border, they could simply drive into England to do it and someone in Scotland could post something that is unlawful that wouldn't be in England, NI or Wales!
Will websites be required to note the location of contributors in order to assess if a user has broken the law or not? Accotding to Radio 4 this morning, the police have said that they will investigate all complaints.
I think that this could well be the first law since devolution that will affect people outside Scotland.