Minister for Police pledges support for anti-gay hatred law
Home office minister Tony McNulty is promising to review the lack of a law to stop the incitement of anti-gay hatred.
The Minister for Police, Security and Community Safety made his pledge on a visit to the offices of PinkNews.co.uk’s media partners 3SIXTY in Brighton.
He was spending the day looking at the work of Sussex Police and wanted to see how the police interact with the gay community.
His pledge came after a discussion with the magazine’s editorial team about hate crime and the gaps in the law.
“We spent time discussing the brutal murder of gay barman Jody Dobrowski and the need for a law to stop the incitement of anti-gay hatred,” said Deputy Editor Torsten Hojer.
“The Minister agreed that it was time to review the law and clearly understood how people who make inflammatory comments can
affect the views of those who might turn to violence.”
The gay equality organisation Stonewall was delighted by the Minister’s
pledge.
“It’s very helpful to know that Tony McNulty is willing to work on
this,” said Alan Wardle, Director of Public Affairs at Stonewall.
3SIXTY’s editorial team also raised two examples with the Minister of where the lack in the law is forcing the police to use Public Order offences rather than having a specific law on the statute book.
There was also discussion of Christian voice director Stephen Green, who is under investigation for inciting anti-gay hatred, and that of Brighton Councillor Peter Willows, charged for allegedly likening homosexuals to paedophiles.
The Home Office later confirmed that Mr McNulty is keen to examine the whole area of hate crimes. In September he attended a conference on the subject in Avon and Somerset.
“It’s definitely something that is on his agenda,” a Home Office spokesman said.
