Scotland Police Receive Hate Crime Training, To Go After Anyone Who Shares Flagged Content Online Or In-Person If Deemed Offensive

Scotland is reportedly training its police on how to deal with supposed hate crimes, which superficially involve investigating actors and comedians, though it really effects everyone, if a report is filed against them, if they say something that is offensive.

This training was leaked to the Scottish paper The Herald. The following are excerpts from their report:

Training, obtained by The Herald, states that material regarded as “threatening and abusive” under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) can be communicated “through public performance of a play.” The Scottish Tories said this appeared to be at odds with the legislation and called for the force to explain.

Meanwhile, The Herald also understands that the Assistant Chief Constable responsible for overseeing the implementation of the controversial legislation has retired after just a year in the post. David Duncan was made ACC and put in charge of Policing Together, Police Scotland’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, in January last year.

The force said a recruitment process for a replacement would start this month, with the Policing Together portfolio “being looked after by another chief officer in the interim.”

The new hate crime legislation consolidates some existing laws and creates a new offence of stirring up hatred against protected characteristics, including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity.

Police Scotland has promised that it will investigate every hate crime complaint reported, despite the force adopting a “proportionate response” approach to other crimes. The slide from the training module deals with “how might threatening and or abusive material be communicated…