Concept of ‘hate-crimes’ a threat to democracy which could politicise police and justice services

YOUR columnist Fionola Meredith has written a perceptive article (Comment, Dec 29) on the contradictions inherent in the Government appointing a new regulator, the Office for Students, to ensure universities uphold free speech.

I would argue that the principles of free speech are currently under fire far beyond university cloisters and throughout the public square.

The most blatant attacks on free speech come from legislation outlawing so-called ‘hate speech’ and the manner in which the justice system can upgrade crimes to ‘hate crimes’.

A person, or group, can be accused of ‘hate speech’ when someone — often with mischievous intent — claims to have been offended. This then leaves room for the police and prosecution services to cherry-pick whom they will prosecute and whom they will ignore.

This example of bad law has been increasingly used to crush the expression of views at odds with the established elite. This is a threat to our democracy and has drawn our policing and justice services into the centre of politics.

The concept of ‘hate crimes’ is also very damaging to our democratic way of life. To take a hypothetical example: a criminal convicted of seriously assaulting an elderly pensioner can receive a much harsher sentence if the motive was prejudice against the victim’s ethnic origins than if he had had the apparently much nobler motive of robbing his victim of his life savings.

Here in Northern Ireland, accusations of ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’ have been escalating in recent months and our justice system and, increasingly, our fine police service are being perceived as agents of state control, rather than servants of the public.

ALAN LOVE

NI regional organiser, Engage Party