Parliamentary briefing

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill

Published: 22 February 2021

Last updated: 22 February 2021

What countries does this apply to?

  • Scotland

What the Bill covers

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

Why we are briefing on this subject

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.

Document downloads

Page updates