As Michael Scott might say, 'Well, well, well, how the turntables have ...'
OK, so Michael Scott might not be the most eloquent of characters to quote here, but we couldn't help thinking of that funny scene from The Office this morning when reports began to come out about the complaints Scottish police have received after the nation's new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act went into effect on Monday, April 1 (of course it went into effect on April Fool's Day).
As Twitchy has reported, the new law enables police to target and prosecute any speech determined to be 'threatening or abusive' (determined as such by whom seems to have been left intentionally vague). This includes social media posts, comedians making jokes, and even retweeting an 'offensive' post on Twitter. The law places specific emphasis on speech that 'threatens the transgender community.'
Twitchy readers also know that author J.K. Rowling has blasted the law, going so far as to post a series of tweets on Monday calling out men pretending to be women and even daring authorities to arrest her for speaking the truth.
As it turns out, since Monday, the Scottish police HAVE been inundated with complaints identifying 'hate speech' in Scotland, but you'll never guess who most of those complaints were filed against.
Or, if you believe in karma, you'll know exactly who.
Scottish Police receive 4,000 complaints days after new Hate Speech law goes into effect.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 3, 2024
The majority of the complaints are related to a a 2020 viral video where Scotland’s leader went on an anti-white rant.
Humza Yousaf’s speech received more complaints than JK Rowling’s… pic.twitter.com/nJKEMbmkkN
That's correct. According to Scots, the leading purveyor of so-called 'hate speech' is not J.K. Rowling, but Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf, who was and is a champion of the law.
Oli London's tweet, which takes excerpts from The Daily Mail, continues:
Humza Yousaf’s speech received more complaints than JK Rowling’s tweets about transgenderism.
Police are receiving on average 60 hate crime reports per hour, since April 1st.
Police revealed: 'We have received a number of complaints in relation to a speech in the Scottish Parliament on June 10, 2020.
Earlier complaints regarding this matter were assessed at the time and it was established no crime was committed and no further action was required.'
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 creates a new crime of 'stirring up hatred' relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.
Oh, but it gets even better:
As the storm over the laws continues to intensify, Yousaf's minister for victims and community Siobhian Brown, warned of 'hysteria' gripping Scots, revealing that a member of the public had made a fake complaint in her name.
HAHAHAHA. It sure sounds to us like Scots are having nothing to do with the new law and are making every effort to show their government how ridiculous -- or daft, as they would say in Scotland -- it is. It's also ironic that Brown is complaining about 'anonymous' or 'fake' complaints when they put in the very mechanisms that allow people to make them.
Furthermore, what in George Orwell's 1984 is a 'minister for victims and community'? Yikes.
😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂😂😂😅😅😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣 https://t.co/wC3xj43f0p
— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) April 3, 2024
Lol, the good citizens of Scotland should keep spamming them until they repeal this ridiculous law. https://t.co/n8q9FqpPOa
— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) April 4, 2024
For those who may not recall, the Yousaf speech that Scots have been calling hate speech was delivered in 2020, coinciding with the George Floyd riots. Here is the clip that went viral:
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf openly despises white people
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 25, 2023
Why would Scotland’s Parliament and King select a guy who hates almost 100% of the country?
pic.twitter.com/zRrcI3CpqN
Wow. Even Elon Musk called that 'blatantly racist.'
And, just in case Yousaf wasn't aware, Scotland is a 95 percent white country, so it kind of stands to reason that the majority of its leaders would share that characteristic.
Has that horrible and hateful bigot been arrested yet?
— “It’s Started” said the guy who said It’s Started (@DaveCinVA) April 4, 2024
Right? If Yousaf really believed in his new law, he would turn himself in. But, as we all know, when leftists pass new laws or make new rules, they only want them to apply to others, not to them.
But Twitter loved the beautiful irony of Yousaf getting reported more than anyone else in Scotland.
#Poetic https://t.co/5DuooN5QkF
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) April 4, 2024
— “It’s Started” said the guy who said It’s Started (@DaveCinVA) April 4, 2024
— Choominati - Picture $8 Blue Check In This Spot (@formeret) April 4, 2024
The Jocks are shoving Humza’s dismal law up his Bumza. Go Scotland ! He will no tek yer freedom. https://t.co/5KJFu0xwp0 pic.twitter.com/mUH6RmHq0b
— Dr Egnor (@CletusAwreeetus) April 4, 2024
You just knew there would be some references to William Wallace here. LOL.
Perfect https://t.co/3QWFSrzxX9
— Nan "MAGA Republican" Hayworth, M.D. (@NanHayworth) April 4, 2024
This is how to respond to this foolish law. Call out the REAL haters. https://t.co/G1LaQUvoU2
— CarolinaHawk 1776🇺🇸 (@HawkinsRandy) April 4, 2024
Humza yousaf and Anas Sarwar deliberately targeted my race White . As he brought this ridiculous bill forward he should have to answer for his devious tactics in this speech . I feel devalued in my country of birth and my crime is I Am White !!!!! https://t.co/PjDMDOKAAC
— Susan Hudspith (@hudspith_susan) April 4, 2024
Of course, Yousaf will claim (and has claimed) that his anti-white speech in 2020 was not 'stirring up hate.' But he doesn't get to say so. The law he pushed into force does not allow him to claim it wasn't hate. Hate only has to be alleged by someone else -- even someone anonymous -- to require police to look into it and potentially prosecute with penalties of up to seven years in prison.
Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of humor.
What a crock of crao fascist law. "Stirring up hatred".
— Bonnie Blue (@BonnieBlueTK) April 3, 2024
"Your honor, I did not 'stir up hatred'. It was shaken." https://t.co/656TxqyWkY
LOL. Both James Bond and the best actor who ever played him, Sean Connery, are Scottish, so this fits.
Hahaha! Ooh, I like some schaden with my freude https://t.co/kniTxinIlc
— Jo Gubret (@Guy869Jo) April 4, 2024
It is quite delicious.
Oh. Hate speech law in Scotland goes into effect on April 1, and in two days over 4,000 complaints come in against....the govt.
— Laurie (@laurieinri) April 4, 2024
Absolutely fabulous.
Send more reports. https://t.co/WyWTH9JYYu
Flood the office. Overwhelm it. Bury them in the garbage that they have created.
Of course, the ultimate insult of Scotland's Hate Crime and Public Order Act is who it does NOT protect. There is, specifically and deliberately, no provision in the law to protect REAL women against misogyny. Only men in dresses are protected. And the bill also removed centuries-old Scottish laws against blasphemy, so it's open season on Christianity.
More importantly though, in the end, all 'hate speech' laws are anathema to a free society. Hopefully, Soctland figures that out sooner rather than later.
Its citizens embarrassing the government is a good first step in that direction.
***
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