There has been too much heat and not enough light around discussion of the legislation to tackle hate crime, which came into force last Monday.

Vigorous debate is part and parcel of a free society, and something we should all cherish.

The responsibility when discussing complex issues such as the Hate Crime Act – particularly for politicians, but also for all those who have a role in public life – is for that debate to be rooted in reality, conducted respectfully and one based on the facts, not on deliberately peddling disinformation.

So here are some facts.

Hate crime continues to be a problem in our society. In Scotland, 5,738 charges of hate crime were reported in 2022/23. That is 5,738 too many.

People shouldn’t be the victims of hatred because they are disabled, or due to their religion, sexuality, race or transgender identity.

If we truly believe in taking a zero-tolerance approach to hatred, then the........

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