L
lizardley
Guest
New laws to tackle religious hatred and bigotry related to football have been passed tonight by the Scottish Parliament, despite a lack of opposition support.
The new Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill aims to tackle the issue with jail terms of up to five years for behaviour which could cause public disorder in and around matches. But Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems and the Scottish Greens said the bill was ‘railroaded’ through by the SNP Government. They said it was ‘bad law which risks doing more harm than good.’
Catholic Church representatives said this week that they had told the government that the bill is but the starting point in finally bringing anti-Catholicism in Scotland to an end. John Deighan, the Scottish Bishops’ parliamentary officer, said that the Church did not take sides on how best to approach specific social issues but called on all parties to work towards ‘a fair and just society.’
To read more on bill’s passage visit: bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-16138683
The new Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill aims to tackle the issue with jail terms of up to five years for behaviour which could cause public disorder in and around matches. But Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems and the Scottish Greens said the bill was ‘railroaded’ through by the SNP Government. They said it was ‘bad law which risks doing more harm than good.’
Catholic Church representatives said this week that they had told the government that the bill is but the starting point in finally bringing anti-Catholicism in Scotland to an end. John Deighan, the Scottish Bishops’ parliamentary officer, said that the Church did not take sides on how best to approach specific social issues but called on all parties to work towards ‘a fair and just society.’
To read more on bill’s passage visit: bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-16138683