This bill proposed by the SNP will prove disastrous if allowed to go through.  Scotland is now at risk of being known as a country that punishes it's own people for freedom of speech. Any comment regarding race, religion or sexual orientation that has been deemed offensive, could be met with confiscation of materials and even jail time according to this bill. While hate crime shouldn't be encouraged, forcing complete silence of opinions could be more dangerous in the long run, as a simple comment could be taken as offensive.  One line in the legislation reads, "This offence could even be applied to being in possession of materials produced by someone else, where sharing the material could stir up hatred."  This shows that artistic expression wouldn't be safe. Should all books considered offensive be confiscated including possibly religious texts? What about comedians or plays? Will they even be allowed? Or will these things be edited to make them more “appropriate”?

For Scotland's sake I ask that this bill be stopped. As a country known for taking pride in diversity, this bill threatens to destroy the foundations of the people we are in this country. I along with many others feel a profound level or fear for our country. Please, help to put a stop to this by signing this petition and make the difference necessary to ensure our freedoms are upheld. The bill can be found at the following site. https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/hate-crime-and-public-order-scotland-bill