First minister calls for end to vexatious reports after far-right agitators attempt to ‘overwhelm’ official systems

First minister calls for end to vexatious reports after far-right agitators attempt to ‘overwhelm’ official systems

Neo-Nazi and far-right agitators are exploiting Scotland’s new hate crime law to make vexatious complaints en masse in an attempt to “overwhelm” police systems.

A prominent figure in England’s white nationalist movement is among those urging followers to spam Police Scotland with anonymous online reports, the *Observer *has found.

The leader of a far-right group – one of several fringe organisations being assessed by the UK government under its new extremism definition – promoted a private channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram that includes a “call to action” urging members to “mass report”.

Posts in the channel instruct members to log cases of supposed “anti-white” hate, which they say includes a statement on the police force’s website that “young men aged 18-30 are most likely to commit hate crime”.

  • MakhnoEnglish
    8•9 months ago

    The law is fucked. Way too vague and ripe for abuse.

      • circuscriticEnglish
        12•9 months ago

        Even that thread shows how that system is ripe for abuse:

        "If a hate crime is reported to the police and following investigation no criminality is established, it will be recorded as a “hate incident”, although this is now being reviewed by the police. Hate incidents are not recorded against alleged perpetrators, but their names appear in the police files for the complainant.

        Under Police Scotland’s enhanced disclosure programme, prospective employers can request criminal history information on any person including: unspent convictions, relevant spent convictions, unspent cautions, inclusion on children’s or adults’ lists, information from the sex offenders register, and other relevant information held by the police. This final category would include non-crime hate incidents, meaning they could be disclosed to employers."

        • @Adanisi@lemmy.zipEnglish
          1•9 months ago

          Looks like you just read until you found what you were looking for then stopped.

          From the replies:

          If it doesn’t appear in YOUR record, it won’t appear on your disclosure since your record forms the basis of your disclosure. It’s positively Orwellian to try to manufacture outrage over something that isn’t possible

          • circuscriticEnglish
            9•9 months ago

            Reports not substantiated will be filed as hate incidents.

            Hate incidents can be included on the records requested by employers, as it is relevant information held by the police.

            I’m not sure what you’re not understanding.

            • @Adanisi@lemmy.zipEnglish
              1•9 months ago

              Hate incidents are not recorded against alleged perpetrators, but their names appear in the police files for the complainant.