Andrew Neil points damning verdict on first 48 hours of SNP’s new hate crime legal guidelines | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Andrew Neil has issued a damning abstract of the primary 48 hours of the SNP’s new hate crime legal guidelines.

The veteran broadcaster highlighted how Police Scotland acquired nearly 4,000 complaints below the brand new laws.

He additionally pointed to reviews that Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf had extra complaints for a 2020 Holyrood speech on racism than Harry Potter writer JK Rowling over her gender feedback.

And there have been questions over whether or not complaints are being recorded as a “non-crime hate incident” when they don’t meet the edge for against the law.

Mr Neil stated on X: “Looks like complaints lodged under Scotland’s new ‘hate crime’ law flooded into overwhelmed police at a rate of one every 90 seconds in first 48 hours of implementation.

“Expected to high 4,000 at this time in complete up to now. Is Scotland actually such a cesspit of hate? Or is the brand new regulation only a Clype’s Charter for pathetic keyboard warriors?

“First Minister Humza Yousaf pips JK Rowling in race to accumulate most complaints against an individual (talk about being hoist by your own petard!).

“SNP ministers seem on radio/TV to elucidate how regulation works — and get it unsuitable.

“Police say no action to be taken against Yousaf or Rowling. But who is being logged for so-called ‘non-crime hate incidents’ remains a mystery. Police accused of making it up as they go along.

“But this isn’t simply your run-of-the-mill SNP shambles. This is an SNP-Labour-Green-LibDem shambles, the kind of cosy Scottish Left consensus that eschews correct scrutiny of recent legal guidelines and ends in unhealthy legal guidelines being launched.”

It comes after the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into force on Monday.

The legislation consolidates existing laws on hate crime and extends protections offered against racial abuse to other groups of people.

However critics have voiced concerns about its impact on freedom of speech, while others have raised the prospect of vexatious or malicious complaints being made under the legislation.

Mr Yousaf has declared that he is “very proud” of the new laws, saying they will help protect against a “rising tide” of hatred.

The Scottish First Minister also insisted he is “very assured in Police Scotland’s capacity with a view to implement this laws in the best way it ought to”.