EPHRAIM BOROWSKI

Director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities

Hatred and discrimination are, sadly, everyday issues for many people in Scotland. Their impact is long- lasting, and extends well beyond any individual incident, affecting others who share the same protected characteristic.

People sometimes fear they will not be believed; sometimes incidents are so “routine” that people regard them as part of “normal” life.

Hate crime legislation is therefore important, not just for deterrence but for society to signal its abhorrence of prejudice and hatred against identifiable groups. But currently it is a patchwork, and it should be consolidated and simplified. This will help ensure all groups are treated equally, avoiding a “hierarchy of inequality” in which some minorities may not feel adequately protected.

Enabling people to feel safe is at least as important as Police Scotland’s objective of “Keeping

People Safe”. Free speech is important in any progressive society, but there is no unqualified human right that permits inciting hatred against any group in society.

Words hurt, so individuals must take responsibility for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of what they say. We trust the courts to distinguish between accidental and deliberate assault; they are well able to do the same for verbal assault.

But legislation can only be part of the solution. Education and inter-communal activities are crucial to demystifying “the other”, promoting good relations and helping people to appreciate the lives and fears of Scotland’s diverse communities.