Scottish Conservative candidate Rachael Hamilton has welcomed her party’s election pledge to repeal elements of the SNP’s controversial Hate Crime Act, that threatens free speech.
The Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire candidate has called on the law to be amended so that women are given proper protection from hate crime.
In March, SNP justice secretary Humza Yousaf passed the most controversial law in Holyrood’s history with the backing of Labour, the Lib Dems and Greens.
Rachael Hamilton and her Scottish Conservative colleagues have repeatedly warned about the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act’s effect on free speech in Scotland.
Parts of the legislation have been widely criticised by religious and cultural groups, writers, journalists, free speech campaigners, the legal profession and police.
There is no protection in the Act, a so-called “dwelling defence”, for things said in the privacy of your own home, behind closed doors.
While women are often targeted by hate crime due to their sex, the law does not include sex as an “aggravating factor”.
Mrs Hamilton believes women are entitled to the same protection as other protected characteristics of age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity within the Act.
The Borders candidate says her party will always defend the right to freedom of speech, and believes the Hate Crime Act is an example of the danger the SNP poses, if they win a majority in May.
Rachael Hamilton said:
“The SNP’s Hate Crime Act is an affront to the freedom of speech in Scotland.
“Women are not properly protected by this Act either, and this concerns me greatly, given that misogyny remains a significant problem in society.
“This new SNP law gives no defence to people for what they say in the privacy of their own homes. It has the potential to criminalise conversations around the family dinner table.
“The Scottish Conservatives successfully fought to remove other extreme elements from the legislation before it was forced through.
“Free speech is cherished in Scotland, with 9 out of 10 Scots recognising that it is an integral part of our democracy.
“But yet again, we see the SNP forcing through legislation which is unpopular amongst the public.
“If the SNP gain a majority in this election, they would have unchecked power and, as this bill proves, that is a frightening prospect.”