Schedule - Hatred against persons on racial or religious grounds
Racial and Religious Hatred Bill
5:15 pm
Dominic Grieve (Shadow Attorney General, (Assist the Home Affairs Team); Beaconsfield, Conservative)
The hon. Gentleman makes a perfectly good point. I was perfectly happy to support that measure, because it puts a more severe penalty on somebody who commits a criminal offence and seeks to justify it on the basis that it is against somebody of another religion.
Let us say that I decide to set fire to a mosque, and my motive is Islamophobia. Under the law as it stands, I am allowed to harbour Islamophobia, but if I set fire to a mosque that should be taken into account as an aggravating factor. I do not have any difficulty with that; I think the state is entitled to do so. Judges, of their own motion and without Parliament passing laws, have historically adjusted penalties. Indeed, if they think that Islamophobia is giving rise to criminal offences against Muslims, they ought to do so. The Lord Chief Justice would send out a letter saying that this crime is becoming far too prevalent and the judges, usually of their own accord, would pass stiffer sentences. That has been going on, whether it be in the cases of Muslims, gays, women or whoever else.