SNP minister Siobhan Brown warns of hate crime 'hysteria' as Police Scotland receive 3,000 complaints

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An SNP minister has warned of "hysteria" gripping Scots over new hate crime laws after it emerged police received 3,000 complaints in just two days.Siobhan Brown, whose brief covers community safety, also revealed a member of the public had made a fake complaint in her name.Police are said to be receiving more than 60 complaints per hour on average since the the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act took effect on Monday.Complaints can be made online with no need to speak to an officer in person.Brown said today: "I was surprised myself on Monday to receive a call from Police Scotland about my complaint - this was a fake complaint someone had done anonymously in my name, and gave my office number."I think this shows the publicity and misinformation that's out there about this Act, that people are making fake and vexatious complaints."When told this was an issue the government was warned about, Brown told BBC Radio Scotland: "I think also, in the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot of misinformation and hysteria regarding this bill being introduced.There is a growing sense of frustration in the Scottish Government at the reaction to the new Hate Crime Act, which came into force on Monday, after celebs like JK Rowling and Ally McCoist spoke out against it.The multi-millionaire author challenged police to arrest her and the Rangers legend described the legislation as "crazy".But a senior Government source told the Record people should read up on the law before "sounding off in public".They said: "There needs to be a reality check about this law - what it is and even more so about what it isn't."It's about tackling hate based on a person's religion, disability, sexuality or age.