Scotland: Police face ridicule over 'ludicrous' Hate Monster campaign

Article here. Excerpt:

'Police Scotland has been ­ridiculed over a ‘ludicrous’ ­campaign aimed at cracking down on hate crime which ­features a ‘pound shop version of a Sesame Street character’.

The animated ‘Hate Monster’ on the force’s website and YouTube channel comes ahead of the introduction of new hate crime laws, due to be enforced from April 1.

A video shows the monster with a voice­over urging people to not allow their anger or prejudice to lead them into committing an offence, such as making a racist comment.
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The website states: ‘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.’

Critics say the hate crime legislation – which was spearheaded by Humza Yousaf when he was Justice Secretary – could lead to people being prosecuted for comments made in their own homes, and overburden the police force.

One retired officer said the campaign was a ‘disgraceful’ attempt at ‘profiling’.

Former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher said: ‘The sweeping generalisations made in the campaign text are very concerning, and stating that a young man in Scotland from a socially and economically deprived background feels any sense of “white-male entitlement” makes me wonder if the authors have ever set foot in any of Scotland’s most deprived areas.’'