The concept of a “hate incident”, as distinct from a “hate crime” might threaten freedom of speech, writes the IEA’s Senior Academic Fellow Professor Philip Booth.

Writing for The Tablet, Philip argues that the intervention by police in these types of incidents can undermine free speech in a major way. The police, whose job is to uphold the criminal law, are required to investigate “hate incidents” where there is no evidence of either hate or crime.

This, Philip adds, can lead to controversial but reasonable opinions being the basis of a visit from the police or even arrest even if there is no chance of prosecution.

Read the full article here.