Media: Scotland’s new law sparks police chaos
4,000 complaints under a controversial new hate crime law introduced on April 1st have thrown Scottish police into chaos, after receiving false and time-wasting complaints, alongside those filed against high-ranking officials or even made on their behalf, RIA Novosti reports with reference to Daily Mail
“Scotland’s Justice Minister [Siobhian Brown] was forced to admit time-wasting complaints are being made to police under the country’s controversial hate crime laws – including a false complaint made under her name,” the publication reads, noting that the new law has led to ‘chaos’.
Brown states that ‘misinformation and hysteria’ have led to wrong assumptions about the law. One of the 4,000 complaints made to Scottish police since it came into effect was submitted by someone pretending to be her. Scotland’s official admitted that complaints made to police by ‘malicious members of the public’ include ‘fake and vexatious’ claims.
On April 1st, a law on inciting hatred, particularly on the basis of transgenderism, came into force in Scotland. This controversial law implies the introduction of liability for inciting hatred based on the age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender status of another person. The maximum penalty is a jail sentence of seven years.
