Scottish police receive thousands of reports after new hate crime law
London, UK Reuters Scottish police said on Wednesday they had received more than 7,000 online reports of offences in the first week since the introduction of a new hate crime law that opponents say could curb free speech and waste police time. The law, brought in by a devolved government controlled by the centre-left pro-independence […]
Families of victims of Franco regime welcome new Spanish law
Madrid, SpainReuters Flor Baena has spent decades trying to clear the name of her brother Jose Humberto, who was one of the last five people executed under General Francisco Franco’s fascist regime just two months before the dictator’s death in 1975. But on Thursday, the leftist government’s Democratic Memory law tackling the legacy of the […]
USDA exempts religious schools from non-discrimination rules to keep kids fed
Washington DC, US RNS The US Department of Agriculture has clarified its guidance for participants in a free school lunch program, stating that faith-based schools can seek religious exemptions to federal restrictions that include barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The clarification, delivered via a USDA memo dated 12th August, […]
Hate crimes surge in Canada during pandemic
Toronto, CanadaReuters Canada has experienced a sharp rise in hate crimes targeting religion, sexual orientation and race since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released this week by Statistic Canada. Canada, which prides itself as a diverse and welcoming country for immigrants and refugees, has witnessed a 72 per cent jump in […]
New Zealand passes law banning conversion therapy
Wellington, New ZealandReuters New Zealand’s parliament on Tuesday near-unanimously passed a legislation that bans practices intended to forcibly change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, known as conversion therapy. The bill, which was introduced by the government last year, passed with 112 votes in favour and eight votes opposed. A pedestrian walks […]