Review of UK hate crime law to consider misogyny and ageism Misandry and prejudice against goths could also be added to legislation

Jamie Grierson Home affairs correspondent Tue 16 Oct 2018 00.01 BST

Goths, men, women and elderly people could receive protection under hate crime laws after officials announced a wide-ranging review of current legislation.

The Law Commission, the independent body that recommends legal reforms, will look at whether there are any gaps in hate crime legislation as part of a package of measures announced by the Home Office on Tuesday.

Both misogyny (prejudice against women) and misandry (prejudice against men) will be considered by the review, as will attitudes towards alternative lifestyles such as goth subculture, and age.

Race, religion, trans identity, sexual orientation and disability are the so-called “protected characteristics” covered by current legislation.

The home secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “Hate crime goes directly against the longstanding British values of unity, tolerance and mutual respect, and I am committed to stamping this sickening behaviour out. Our refreshed action plan sets out how we will tackle the root causes of prejudice and racism, support hate crime victims and ensure offenders face the full force of the law.”

There have been growing calls for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime, and for street harassment of women to be recognised as a specific offence.

Other measures announced by the Home Office include extending its places of worship scheme, which provides funding for protective security measures to religious institutions vulnerable to attack, from three to four years.

Forty-five places of worship have been awarded a total of nearly £800,000 in the latest round of funding through the scheme. They include nine churches, 22 mosques, two Hindu temples and 12 Sikh gurdwaras.

A further £1.5m of funding is to be provided to groups such as the Anne Frank Trust and Kick It Out, which work to challenge prejudice.

The Government Equalities Office will provide further funding for anti-bullying interventions in schools from March 2019 to March 2020.

The Office for Students will provide more than £480,000 of funding for 11 new projects to tackle religion-based hate crime and harassment, as part of its student safeguarding scheme.

The minister for faith, Nick Bourne, said: “Britain is a proudly tolerant nation where everyone has the right to live according to their beliefs. Despite this, in recent years we have seen increased reports of religiously motivated hate crime, intolerance and prejudice.

“The publication of today’s updated plan reaffirms this government’s belief that there can never be an excuse for hatred towards anyone. Wherever we find it, we will oppose it and challenge it.” Since you’re here… … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever, but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

The Guardian is editorially independent. So we set our own agenda. Our journalism is free from commercial bias. It isn’t influenced by billionaire owners, politicians or shareholders. No one edits our editor. No one steers our opinion. This means we can give a voice to the voiceless. It lets us challenge the powerful - and hold them to account. And at a time when factual, honest reporting is critical, it’s what sets us apart from so many others.

The Guardian’s long term sustainability relies on the support that we receive directly from our readers. And we would like to thank the hundreds of thousands who are helping to secure our future. But we cannot stop here. As more of you offer your ongoing support, we can keep investing in quality investigative journalism and analysis. We can remain a strong, progressive force that is open to all.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as £1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Support The Guardian Topics Hate crime Women Men Older people news