Plea for witnesses to report attacks

PREJUDICE victims yesterday backed the launch of a new campaign urging people to report hate crimes.

The joint Police Scotland and Scottish Government drive features mock letters from Scotland addressed “Dear Haters”, telling them the country has “had enough”.

Other images are addressed to transphobes, homophobes, disablists, bigots and racists.

With the slogan “Hate Crime. Report it to stop it”, the campaign aims to encourage reporting of the crimes.

More than 5300 hate crimes were reported to the Crown Office last year but Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said many more go unreported.

A poll earlier this month of 1000 adults revealed more than 80 per cent would tell police about an elderly woman being BY LAURA PATERSON reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk mugged or a house in their street being broken into but only 43 per cent would report online religious bullying.

The survey found 54 per cent would report intimidating or humiliating behaviour towards a transgender person, while 53 per cent would contact police over racial abuse.

Victim Henrietta Mochrie joined Yousaf, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell and senior police officers at the launch in Edinburgh.

Yousaf said: “As somebody who has faced Islamaphobic and racial abuse over the years, I know how upsetting being a victim of hate can be.

“Hate crime and prejudice are completely unacceptable and we are absolutely committed to tackling it.”