New legislation proposed for curbing hate crimes and online racism
Working group calls for tougher sentences
A working group for the Ministry of Justice is proposing legislative changes that would make it easier to react to racist agitation on the Internet. The working group submitted its proposal to Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green) on Tuesday.
Under the proposals, linking to a racist website could be construed as incitement against a national group.
The ministry plans to consider whether or not the moderators of chat rooms and message boards should bear greater responsibility to remove racist messages.
Alongside incitement to racial hatred, the working group calls for clearer definition of other hate crimes. In addition to race and religion, hate crimes would be defined as acts motivated by the victim’s world view, origin, sexual orientation and disability.
The group also proposes a separate category of aggravated hate crime, which would involve incitement to genocide and other serious human rights violations, murder, or manslaughter with a terrorist aim.
The maximum punishment for incitement against a national group would be four years in prison. Currently the maximum penalty is two years.
The ministry also wants the courts to recognise racist and hate motives in crimes such as assault and slander as aggravating circumstances in determining a sentence.
Courts currently rarely consider hate motivation in sentencing. The working group would like to specify hate motives as a basis for harsher sentences.
Another proposal is to make legal entities such as associations and communities responsible for crimes of incitement or discrimination against national groups.
Such entities could be punished for public incitement to crime, illegal threats, and libel or slander, if the act is motivated by hate or racism. >
Under the proposals, linking to a racist website could be construed as incitement against a national group.
The ministry plans to consider whether or not the moderators of chat rooms and message boards should bear greater responsibility to remove racist messages.
Alongside incitement to racial hatred, the working group calls for clearer definition of other hate crimes. In addition to race and religion, hate crimes would be defined as acts motivated by the victim’s world view, origin, sexual orientation and disability.
The group also proposes a separate category of aggravated hate crime, which would involve incitement to genocide and other serious human rights violations, murder, or manslaughter with a terrorist aim.
The maximum punishment for incitement against a national group would be four years in prison. Currently the maximum penalty is two years.
The ministry also wants the courts to recognise racist and hate motives in crimes such as assault and slander as aggravating circumstances in determining a sentence.
Courts currently rarely consider hate motivation in sentencing. The working group would like to specify hate motives as a basis for harsher sentences.
Another proposal is to make legal entities such as associations and communities responsible for crimes of incitement or discrimination against national groups.
Such entities could be punished for public incitement to crime, illegal threats, and libel or slander, if the act is motivated by hate or racism. >
Helsingin Sanomat