Is It Time To Abolish Hate Crime Law?

*This piece was written before the advertised tabling of The House of Lords debating an amendment to hate crime law, adding misogyny.  Comments added at the end of the post in this regard.

Apologies for the sheer length of this post, but it turns out, I had a lot to say.

Image Credit

Firstly, lets deal with the facts.  What is classed as a hate crime and what is a hate incident?  

According to the Met Police, a hate crime is:

'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.'

According to the Gov.uk website, the number of hate crimes since 2011 were reported as below:

2011 -2012                43748 

2013 - 2014              44480

2015 - 2016              52528

2016 - 2017              94098

2017 - 2018             103,379

2019 - 2020             105,090

As can be seen from the figures, following the Government's introduction of "Action Against Hate" in July 2016, the hate crime figures have doubled.

A hate incident is: 

'Any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.'

Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was hate related.

Non-crime hate incident reports were introduced in 2014 after recommendations were made by the independent Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

The College of Policing’s definition of a hate incident is “any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice” towards a person because of their characteristics.

Police guidelines have also been updated so that they apply to schoolchildren and state that hate incidents can include “ill-will, spite, contempt, prejudice, unfriendliness, antagonism, resentment and dislike”.

School children, can be prosecuted, for a hate incident.   A simple falling out in a playground can now lead to prosecution. 

In the past five years, 120,000 non crime hate incidents have been recorded by the police.  Yes, that is a non crime hate incident.  

As we know from the case of Harry Miller, a hate incident can be reported to the police and investigated for as little as someone being merely told about a retweet, not even related to or about them, but that might cause them offence.

What we also know is that the person reporting the hate incident is automatically called "the victim" in the report, and following a consultation by the CPS started in 2016, worryingly, in order to treat a crime as a hate crime for the purposes of investigation, there is no need for evidence to prove the aggravating element.

These non crime hate incidents can be recorded against you, without you ever been informed of the fact.  Barrister Sarah Phillimore recently discovered, after a Twitter user boasted that the police had a record for life for hate crime against her, that the police held twelve pages of tweets that had been recorded by the police as non crime hate incidents.  These records stay on your DBS checks for six years.

As an experiment, she posted a tweet joking that her cat was a Methodist and asked a friend to report her for a hate incident.  After all, what is one more report when you have twelve pages of "incidents" against you?

When reporting the tweet, her friend was asked why he thought her tweet was hateful, to which he replied that she meant to imply that Methodists were "wandering pests were that defecate in people's gardens".  South Yorkshire Police dutifully recorded the incident.

In the title of this post I asked whether it was time to abolish hate crime law?  The answer, for me, has to be yes.

Whilst inciting violence against other or a protected group is wholly wrong and should be dealt with as a crime, the definitions of a hate crime have been stretched and broadened to the extent that anyone saying the most innocent thing, or, a biological fact; can be investigated.

Think of Paul Lancaster for his airport tweet.  Think of Mark Meechan aka Count Dankula for recording his pug doing a "Nazi salute".   Think of Harry Miller.  Think of 120,000 people who have non crime hate incidents recorded against them, for no crime committed.

You might disagree with what these people have said or done.  But free speech cannot exist only when you agree with it.

I read many things on the internet every single day.  I see abuse, harassment and threats made against people like me for example who believe that biology is a fact and that sex should remain a protected class.  Unlike with Scotland's newly amended hate crime law which omits to include sex as a protected characteristic.

I have removed the identity of the poster in the image below, but all details are documents in the link above.

Can you imagine if that tweet had been made about one of the protected characteristics just as religion, sexual orientation, race or transgender identity?  The police would be at your door.

Hate crime law needs to be abolished because it is no longer fit for purpose and is being actively used as a weapon against people. 

Hurt feelings should not be a crime.  A disliked comment should not be a crime.  Someone being rude or who offends you might be a cruel person, but cruelty is not a crime.  Someone stating biological fact is not a crime.  A childish insult in a playground should not be a crime.

All that current hate crime/hate incident law is creating is a generation that cannot cope with life.  A world where words are actual violence.  A world where a slight against you becomes a crime.

How far can this go?  Well look at this article from July 2020 (see image at top of post).  A hate crime investigated, because of a car tyre track on a road.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in that world.  And neither should you.

**ADDED to cover The House of Lords proposed debate to add misogyny to hate crime

From what I understand from the proposals, the policy will not criminalise anything that was previously legal i.e. a sexual assault against a woman is still a sexual assault, but would additionally be recorded as a hate crime.  

My comments as above still stand in that anyone advocating violence against other should be a crime.  Adding a hate crime factor to something that is already illegal I do not have any issues with.  But, in all honesty, I do not think that it will help women.  At all.

Adding a hate crime element to an already existing crime does not help women.  It will not make those men who would wish to commit a crime against a woman think against because he may also have a hate crime against his name.

Reporting will still be split into hate crimes and hate incidents.  An article which reported on a study done on a trialling of misogyny becoming a hate crime in Nottinghamshire noted that 174 reports were made by women between April 2016 and March 2018.  73 were classified as a crime and 101 as a hate incident.  

The report noted after concerns about the policy being trivialised in the media, that things wolf whistling would not be a hate crime.  As this is not illegal.  It could however be recorded as a hate incident.

Here is where I will probably receive, ironically, hate from some circles.  

Wolf whistling is not a hate incident.  A builder catcalling you from a scaffold is not a hate incident.  It is, as a woman I know, irritating at best and can be intimidating.  But I do not think that the answer to this is recording these incidents as a hate incident.

I do not know the answer for improving women's safety.  But I do not think that "hate incidents" being recorded will help.  Recording a non crime hate incident on someone's record, on their DBS check, will not help.

I think that it will increase misogyny.  I think it will put a greater divide between men and women.  And that is the last thing we want.

Do You Have Rosacea?

 From the Hollywood A-listers to the regular girls and guys on the street, a common skin condition called rosacea is prevalent. It can affect people from all ages, but mostly it's those in the 30-50s bracket that deal with it. Rosacea is categorized by a redness in the skin, and while it affects more women it's worse when it occurs in men. Rosacea looks like bright red or purple skin on the face and flushing easily. Sometimes, it occurs due to temperature changes, but for some people it comes on as a result of food triggers.

Rosacea can knock your confidence as you can't hide it, and for some people it can be more severe, causing conditions like blepharitis which affects the eyes. Rosacea isn't all about the color changes, either, as the skin can become exceptionally sore and uncomfortable when it's reddened this way. When you are dealing with a skin condition, you need to consider the fact that you're going to need to test out an array of different make-up for sensitive skin to know what will work while your skin is reacting. It can help to learn what the triggers are for your skin flushing, too, as once you learn the triggers you can ensure that you are avoiding the flushing as much as possible. The question is knowing whether you have rosacea in the first place.

Image source: Pexels

To be able to understand whether you are dealing with rosacea, you should consider that it starts with flushing. The rash on the face and neck can appear and you may find that it happens frequently in response to stress, certain foods and even sunshine! If you notice some of the flushing, you're going to need to know how to treat it. The good news is that there are long-term treatments that you can use to help you to clear up the rash on your face. They are very effective and these treatments are usually topical and in cream format. They are applied to the skin and can cool you down and reduce the redness and swelling.

For some people with more severe rosacea, antibiotics can be used to stop the redness from occurring. The good news is that you can also treat rosacea from home without using too much intervention from the doctor if you want to avoid it. Some of the tips you need to treat rosacea at home include:

• There are cleansers that you can use that have redness-reducing properties to ensure that you are keeping your skin hydrated while you are reducing the redness on the surface. These are gentle and can be used everyday.

• Avoid any perfumed and alcohol-focused soaps and products that are for the face. These can cause a flare even when you don't mean for it to happen.

• Blot your face dry, never rub it! If you have a wet face after cleansing, you need to consider blotting with a soft towel as rubbing it could cause some damage to the surface of the skin, which is what you want to avoid.

• Always use a good SPF on your face. If sunshine and warmth can trigger rosacea, then you need to make sure that your skin is as protected as possible.

• Red onions, tomatoes, spicy foods and caffeine can all trigger facial flushing and rosacea. Avoiding these triggers is key to you feeling good!

5 Strategies for Boosting Your Self Image

Photo by Peng Louis from Pexels

Though technology has made it possible to stay connected in ways never seen before, it’s also resulted in an overload of information and provided a platform for people to make negative comments without consequences. 

This has caused many people to worry more than ever before what other people think, resulting in feelings of insecurity and low-confidence. If you’re struggling with negative self-image, here are five strategies for boosting it. 

1) Curate the content you consume online

While social media has its benefits, it also comes with disadvantages. Social media can make you feel inadequate, causing you to compare your home, friends, and body with others online. While it might seem like this negative aspect is something you just have to deal with, you can take control of what you’re exposed to.

Look for accounts to follow that align with your own values and present bodies of all different shapes and sizes, and unfollow accounts that have the potential to damage your self-esteem. Being exposed to positive content will change your mindset over time and boost your self-image. 

2) Find your personal style 

If you grew up without a lot of money or were told that caring about your appearance too much meant you were vain, you may have trouble justifying spending money on clothing. 

Purchasing clothes that fit your personal style and make you feel good isn’t vain; it’s an outward expression of your identity. By outwardly reflecting how you feel on the inside, your confidence will increase. 

Though you may have been led to believe otherwise, there aren’t any hard and fast plus-size fashion rules. Where the pieces you want without worrying about what other people will think. 

3) Move your body for pleasure

Oftentimes, exercise is associated with weight loss and the pursuit of some ‘ideal’ body. There is no ideal body, and exercise should first and foremost be all about feeling strong, healthy, and happy. 

Change your mindset and engage in movement that positively impacts your mental health. Whether you enjoy walking, practicing yoga, or dancing, integrating movement into your life will foster a connection between your mind and body. This connection with your body will allow you to appreciate it for more than just how it looks, but also what it does. 

4) Embrace what you have

With cosmetic procedures like lip filler, microbladed eyebrows, and eyelash extensions becoming more and more popular, it can be hard to love our natural features. Instead of constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends, focus on amplifying your unique features.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear makeup, but rather you should curate your makeup to your face. Rather than trying to cover up your acne scars with a thick foundation, invest in hyperpigmentation treatment to love the skin you’re in. 

5) Do things for the people you love

Many worry that they’re too selfish and find themselves getting caught up in their own worries. Research shows that by helping others, you’ll actually feel better about yourself. 

While it might feel like you barely have enough time to complete the demands in your own life, by setting time aside to do things for your friends and family, you’ll feel less stressed and experience a sense of belonging. Even just picking up a coffee for your coworker on the way into the office or giving a friend a ride home will improve your own sense of self worth.