NUS anti-hate crime vigil draws high-profile support

Government ministers, senior police officers and activists last week added their voices to a national campaign against hate crime, at a candlelight vigil in Edinburgh marking the third International Day Against Hate Crime. 

The NUS Scotland-organised vigil, held outside Edinburgh City Chambers on Friday 28 October, included a two-minute silence in remembrance of victims of hate crime and speeches from high-profile public figures including justice secretary Kenny Macaskill, Lothian & Borders Police deputy chief constable Steven Allan and Gay Men's Health chief executive Bruce Fraser.

NUS Scotland LGBT Officer Nathan Sparling, who helped organise the event, told The Journal that the purpose of the vigil was to show solidarity with victims and to encourage people to report incidences of hate crime.

Campaigners have identified public reluctance to report such crimes as one of the main challenges faced by Scotland today. "Some people feel there is still a bit of stigma attached to reporting hate crimes to the police," said Mr Sparling.

"The goal is essentially to eradicate hate crime, but if we can’t do that it is to at least increase reporting numbers to over 50 per cent, and that means anything from graffiti, to verbal abuse and physical assault.”

According to a recent NUS Scotland report, only four per cent of hate crimes are reported to the police. Statistics from the Equality Network, an LGBT pressure group, show that two-thirds of LGBT people in Edinburgh have been verbally abused because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, while up to a third said they had been physically assaulted.

Addressing the crowd on the Royal Mile, SNP cabinet secretary Mr MacAskill said that it was "very humbling" and "a great privilege" to be a part of the vigil. He stressed the need for strong anti-hate legislation, but said that government policy tackling racism and homophobia must also attempt to educate perpetrators. 

Mr MacAskill said that although he wished hate crimes were thing of the past, the fact that this is not the case was his responsibility, as justice secretary, to be held accountable for. Speaking after the event, Mr MacAskill told The Journal that, while he felt the Scottish Government had taken a hard line in implementing anti-hate laws, it was crucial that government ensured that those laws were effectively enforced, and "that everyone feels that if they report a breach of the law, an attack upon them or even insidious comments, it will be acted upon."

He added: “This is the 21st century, people have to realise that there are laws and that they will be enforced. And people also have to realise that these views are completely unacceptable in a modern, social democratic Scotland.”

Asked what impact he thought the vigil would have, Mr MacAskill said: "I think it's important we had the event tonight. There is a purpose so these ceremonies that's very poignant and very touching, and I pay tribute to the organisers.

“Those who have suffered, and continue to suffer should be remembered, both those who have lost their lives and those who have been hurt.”