Insults, hostility, and hate speech are a major problem in public spaces and on social networks. Governments around the world are seeking to take firmer legal action against these phenomena.

Germany, for example, introduced the Network Enforcement Act in 2017. The European Parliament has called for a more forceful prosecution of hate crimes throughout the EU. Initially, then, it appeared to be a good thing that the Scottish government had decided to tighten the existing regulations.

The new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into force on April 1. It extends existing regulations, in that racially motivated acts and incitements to hatred are no longer the only such activities to be deemed a criminal offence.

A law to combat these has been in place across the UK since the 1980s. Now, anyone in Scotland who incites hatred on the basis of age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity is also guilty of an offense and could face up to seven years in prison.

Victim support organizations and LGBTQ activists have welcomed the introduction of the law. Siobhian Brown, Scotland's minister for victims and community safety, said it would contribute toward "building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice."

Brown explained that "the impact on those on the receiving end of physical, verbal or online attacks can be traumatic and life-changing" and described the law as "an essential element of our wider approach to tackling that........

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