All but four Labour MSPs voted in favour of the SNP's disgusting Hate Crime Bill on Thursday. The bill is the brainchild of Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf and has had a long and troubled passage through Holyrood. The reason for the controversy is the wide-ranging and subjective scope of the bill, which many say will spell the death of free speech in Scotland.
Yousaf has insisted that even private conversations are not exempt from prosecution, meaning that discussions around the dinner table or in the pub are fair game.
 |
| Humza Yousaf |
The SNP required some opposition support to pass the bill, but they were obliged by most Labour MSPs, in addition to every Green and so-called 'Liberal Democrat' MSP. One Conservative (Bill Bowman) inexplicably backed the bill, despite tweeting opposition to it on the day of the vote. As a result of opposition support, the bill passed easily by 82 votes to 32 (see breakdown below).
FOR - 82 (56 SNP, 15 Lab, 5 Green, 5 Lib Dem, 1 Con)
AGAINST - 32 (28 Con, 3 Lab, 1 Reform)
ABSTENTIONS - 4 (2 SNP, 1 Lab, 1 Ind)
