Civil Liberty - The 'hate' industry exposed

Jon Gower Davies, a former Labour councillor on Newcastle City Council and a retired religious studies lecturer at Newcastle University, has penned a new report for the independent think tank Civitas, entitled 'A New Inquisition: religious persecution in Britain today', in which he discusses the "bizarre and oppressive nature of judicial attempts to persecute individuals for 'religious hatred'."

The report says: "Some police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) seem to be interpreting statutes in favour of ethnic and religious minorities and in a spirit hostile to members of the majority population, defined as 'White' and 'Christian'."

The report also questions whether the CPS's decisions are being influenced by an internal staff association called the National Black Crown Prosecution Association, which has in the past received tens of thousands of pounds from the CPS.

It also cites evidence that suggests "ethnic minorities were being given jobs with the CPS that they could not do."

It adds: "The activities of race and religion-based groups within the criminal justice system, including the police, the probation service and the CPS, are such that a public inquiry is now needed."

Although the total number of 'hate' crimes - defined officially as a "criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility, or prejudice based on a person's religion or perceived religion" - has fallen from 13,201 in 2006/07 to 11,843 in 2008/09, the report says the volume of 'hate' legislation has rapidly expanded, with 35 Acts of Parliament, 52 statutory instruments, 13 codes of practice, 3 codes of guidance and 16 European Union directives which have a bearing on discrimination.

Read more here.