Scotland have brought about an interesting law when it comes to hate crime. JK Rowling has already been investigated because of this. There is no doubt in my view that there is too much hatred on Social Media, notably Twitter/X and this does include hatred towards women, the transgender community, Jews and Muslims amongst others.
While I would welcome action being taken to address this, I have concerns that the law in Scotland may be something that has gone too far. In some ways, the stand that JK Rowling has taken is an admirable one, in that she has put her head above the parapet to see where the line between free speech and illegality lies. But she has also offended many due to this.
Sadly, discussing this is hard as too many people are willing to rant and not to listen. The Newsagents covered this matter earlier in the week and it will be interesting to read the comments that come about because of this.
I hope the fears that this will infringe free speech and regulate thought will not come about. But while the law may be interpreted in one manner now, it remains to be seen if this continues in the future.
