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Tories face defeat in bid to force SNP to abandon hate crime bill

Douglas Ross has said "doomed" legislation should be abandoned - WPA Pool/Getty
Douglas Ross has said "doomed" legislation should be abandoned - WPA Pool/Getty

An attempt to force the SNP to ditch its controversial hate crime law is set to be thwarted this week by pro-independence MSPs.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has said that his party will bring forward a motion at Holyrood aimed at forcing SNP ministers to withdraw the legislation, which he described as a “blatant attack on free speech”.

However, it is understood that the Scottish Greens will refuse to back the Tory motion, meaning the bid to force an early defeat for the proposals is destined to fail. It is understood that the Greens will instead focus on attempting to amend legislation as it progresses through parliament to address the concerns.

The law is intended to streamline and toughen existing laws against hate crime, but there are fears that the introduction of a new offence of “stirring up hatred” against certain groups will stifle free speech by criminalising statements others see as controversial.

BBC Scotland, senior lawyers, the Scottish Newspaper Society, police officers and the Catholic Church are among those to express serious misgivings about the Bill.

Mr Ross said the legislation must not progress any further and urged SNP ministers to “go back to the drawing board”.

He said: “Everyone agrees on the need for legislation to tackle hate crime in Scotland. But by trying to fix a doomed Bill that clearly needs to be reworked, we're wasting time that the Parliament needs to hold the SNP Government to account on care home deaths and their domestic record."

Humza Yousaf, the SNP Justice Secretary, has said he is open to making changes to the legislation, which is currently being scrutinised by the parliament’s justice committee, but rejected calls to abandon it.

He said: "I have made clear that we will listen, engage and find common ground with those who want people to be protected from the scourge of hate crime while respecting freedom of expression.

“As Parliament considers the details of the Bill, we will work to find common ground and compromise where necessary. This is an issue around which the Parliament can and must come together and Parliamentarians have a duty to work together to ensure we do our utmost to protect those who are most vulnerable and targeted by hate so they can live their lives free from harm or fear.

“Any attempt to have the Bill withdrawn before it has gone through the Parliamentary process should be resisted as that would silence the voices of those most affected by hate crime.”