Travellers ‘may need protection of law on hate crime’

A NEW offence of hatred towards gipsy travellers could be created to tackle their ‘vilification’, according to a victims’ group.

Victim Support Scotland (VSS) said ‘stigmatisation’ of the travelling community meant more hate crime legislation might be needed.

The Scottish Government says hate crime is ‘behaviour motivated by hatred, malice, ill-will or prejudice towards people because they form part of a specific group, such as people of a particular race or sexual orientation’.

But victims are now calling for new laws to be considered which would include sufferers of hate crime who currently ‘fall between the cracks’, including gipsy travellers.

A review chaired by Lord Bracadale is already considering whether or not ageism and sexism should be classed as hate crimes.

VSS is to unveil a 93-page paper today which looks at a variety of issues, including the possibility of hate crime laws for gipsy travellers, at a conference in Glasgow.

Ministers already recognise them as an ‘ethnic group’, which means they fall under the ‘protected characteristic’ of race under the Equality Act 2010.

But the VSS document says ‘there are suggestions the stigmatisation’ they experienced ‘would be more effectively challenged if they were given their own distinct categorisation within hate crime legislation’.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are pleased to see that Victim Support Scotland is contributing to this review and look forward to receiving Lord Bracadale’s recommendations next year.’

Lord Bracadale said: ‘The report which Victim Support Scotland are publishing will make an important contribution to the independent review of hate crime legislation which I have been asked to conduct.’

‘Fall between the cracks’