Name: _________________________________________
Date: _________________
Year Group: _________
📊 Key Facts
- Over 145,000 hate crimes were recorded by police in England and Wales in 2023-24
- Race-based hate crime accounts for nearly half of all recorded hate crimes
- Online hate crime reporting increased 105% between 2019 and 2024
- LGBTQ+ young people are twice as likely to experience bullying at school
- Religious hate crime, particularly targeting Muslim and Jewish communities, has increased significantly since 2018
⚖️ The Law
- Public Order Act 1986: Section 18 — incitement to racial hatred; up to 7 years imprisonment
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998: hate crime aggravated offences — higher sentences where motivated by identity-based hostility
- Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006: incitement to religious hatred
- Criminal Justice Act 2003: disability, sexual orientation, and transgender hostility as aggravating factors
- Online Safety Act 2023: illegal hate speech content must be removed proactively by platforms
- Equality Act 2010: protected characteristics, direct discrimination, harassment, and institutional obligations
✏️ Think About It: Scenarios
Scenario 1: A friend tells you something worrying about hate speech. What do you do?
Scenario 2: You see something related to hate speech that concerns you. What are your options?
Scenario 3: Someone you know seems to be in a situation involving hate speech. How do you respond?
💡 Key Messages
- Hate speech causes documented harm — to individuals, communities, and social cohesion
- There is a legal distinction between offensive speech and illegal hate speech — the line matters
- Online hate speech is subject to the same laws as offline — and platforms now have duties to remove it
- Challenging prejudice is a civic duty — but it can and should be done safely
- Reporting hate crime — to police or to reporting organisations — is one of the most powerful acts of resistance
🆘 Need Help?
Childline: 0800 1111 (free, 24/7, confidential)
Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 (100% anonymous)
CEOP: ceop.police.uk (online exploitation)
Emergency: 999