Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

Hate crimes are criminal acts that are based on prejudice. The Hate Crime Bill aims to update and clarify existing laws and protect people from hate crimes on the basis of their:

• disability
• race (and related characteristics)
• religion
• sexual orientation
• transgender identity

We want to make sure that the Hate Crime Bill is consistent across all protected characteristics and does not have a negative effect on the right to freedom of expression.