Senior Met Officer Criticises Scottish Campaign Blaming ‘White-Male Entitlement’ For Hate Crimes

Police are seen outside the ground prior to the Scottish Cup game between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on April 18, 2021. Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

A resurfaced “Hate Monster” hate crime campaign in Scotland has drawn criticism from campaigners and senior Met Police officers, as it solely blames socially excluded young white men for hate crimes.

A controversial new hate crime law, described as “dangerous” by free speech activists and MPs, is set to come into effect next month, and Scottish police have been told to investigate every single report.

On Tuesday, the Scottish government announced that The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act will be enforced from April 1.

On Thursday, the chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation Richard Prior commented on a Scottish police campaign promoting hate crime reporting, saying that “nothing good comes from a politicised police service,” denouncing it as “racist, sexist, and ageist.”

The new law creates new “stirring up of hatred offences” for protected characteristics, including “age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity.”

Hate Crime

According to the official hate crime website for Scotland, the public is being urged report hate crime whether “you are affected personally, or if you witness someone else being targeted. For example, you could be a friend, neighbour, family member, support worker or a passer-by.”

It said that the public “should tell the police if you think it happened because of disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. It may even be a combination of these things. This is important as it tells us that it could be a hate crime.”

“If something happens and you are not sure if it is a crime, please remember, if it feels wrong, report it and let us help,” it added.

On Wednesday, a Scotland Police spokesman told The Epoch Times by email that they will “investigate every report.”

Police also set up designated “Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centres” which include housing associations, victim support offices, voluntary groups, and even private businesses such as fish farms, caravan parks and even a sex shop in Glasgow.

Hate Monster

To promote the new law, the government has created a new marketing campaign urging people to report hate crimes.

However, an older campaign from 2023 has resurfaced, drawing criticism from campaigners and senior police officers.

Last year, Police Scotland’s “Hate Monster” used a cartoon monster to urge people to report hate crimes, while solely blaming socially excluded young white men for hate crimes.

The site said: “We know that young men aged 18—30 are most likely to commit hate crime, particularly those from socially excluded communities who are heavily influenced by their peers.

“They may have deep-rooted feelings of being socially and economically disadvantaged, combined with ideas about white-male entitlement.”

Writing on social media platform X,  Mr. Prior said that Police Scotland is “really going out on a limb with the combined racist, sexist and ageist comms. Nothing like demeaning your workforce and this particular demographic of the public in such a blunt and thoughtless manner.”

“The police should strive to rid itself from internal politicisation and get back to the basics of policing without fear, favour or prejudice. Nothing good comes from a politicised police service,” he added.

He added that he hoped there would be some “significant push back against this” from the Scottish Police Federation, an organisation representing Scottish police officers.

‘Snitches’

Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, director of Don’t Divide Us, an organisation set up to take a stand against the UK’s “divisive obsession with people’s racial identity,“ told The Epoch Times that she believed that ”political opportunism is blinding the Scottish government to reason, democracy and freedom.”

“It seems like the government can’t decide whether the public is to be treated like infants, with language & images for toddlers, or potential criminals in need of constant policing by ”good citizens“ aka snitches.”

A Police Scotland spokesman told The Epoch Times by email: “The campaign, which is not connected to the new legislation, was developed by Police Scotland using recognised industry practice and ran for six weeks in spring 2023.”

The Epoch Times contacted The Scottish Police Federation and The Scottish government for comment.