Hate Crime Bill passed by Scottish Parliament as Humza Yousaf insists freedom of speech is protected

Mark Meechan was fined £800 for recording his pug Buddha raising its paw in response to statements such as “gas the Jews” and “sieg heil”. He was found guilty in 2018 of posting materia l that was “grossly offensive” and “anti-Semitic and racist in nature” in an offence aggravated by religious prejudice.

Scottish Parliament party launched itself on social media last year and aims to do what it says on the tin - ditch Holyrood and return Scotland to direct rule from London.

jail term for sending her a birthday card saying he loves her.Joseph Carson, 63, has been convicted of breaking a court ban on contacting his mum, Jane Carson, by posting her the card on her 84th birthday.At the time of her birthday, in July last year, he was the subject of a Non-Harassment Order (NHO).The NHO was imposed at Paisley Sheriff Court on September 1, 2017, after he inundated Mrs Carson, and her former boyfriend, Ronald Moreland, with poison pen letters.And Mrs Carson was so upset and

party chiefs. The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be joined by Anas Sarwar from Labour, Douglas Ross from the Scottish Conservatives, Willie Rennie from the Lib Dems and Lorna Slater of the Scottish Greens.

parties hitting the campaign trail to get your vote ahead of polling day. Over the last number of elections in the UK the TV debates have tended to dominate with many leaders from some of the smaller parties getting more time in the limelight than they would normally do.

hate crime probe after sick racist yobs daubed Nazi slogans on a golf club. Vandals painted ‘Blacks out’, ‘Sieg Heil’, swastikas and SS lightning bolts - the symbols of Hitler’s infamous elite troops - on the club house at Linn Park golf course in Glasgow.

campaign. The fifth session of the Scottish Parliament was put into recess on March 24 which triggered the election campaign to start in earnest.

puppy was shot and killed on a Fife farm following an incident of sheep worrying. The pooch died just before 12pm on Tuesday on a farm in the Ballingry area.

Anas Sarwar has been praised for ‘keeping his cool’ after being ambushed by an irate former Brexit party member branded a 'racist bully'. David Ballantine, who previously referred to Islam as a “child rapist death cult”, targeted the Scottish Labour leader as he gave an interview outside Holyrood on Monday.

Arbroath.Emergency services were called to Leonard Street at around 6.55pm on Monday, March 22. A 50-year-old man was badly hurt and rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for treatment.

Scottish Parliament later today. The Scottish Tories said they will press ahead with a vote in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after a Holyrood committee found she misled parliament.

First Minister leaked last week, ruled that she had given an "inaccurate" account of a meeting with her predecessor during her Government’s botched probe into him. Set up in 2019, the Committee has been investigating the SNP Government’s mis-handling of sexual misconduct complaints against Salmond when he was First Minister.Salmond pursued a judicial review and it was agreed the Government probe, which destroyed his friendship with Sturgeon, had been unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.

Head over to our new Lanarkshire Live Facebook page to make sure you're up to date with the top stories in the regionKenny O’Donnell, principal teacher of social subjects at St Aidan’s High, said: “As a department, we all teach about inequality.

indyref2” next to the party’s name on voting slips.First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has backed another referendum in the early part of the next term.The call was ramped up last week after SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said it could take place this year.With the Tories making opposition to indyref2 a key part of their electoral strategy, a referendum looks likely to be a dominant issue in next month’s election campaign.An application to the electoral watchdog shows the SNP has

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.A civic trust has asked a government employee to reconsider his intent to grant a housebuilder consent to press on with the next phase of a development in Kinross in light of ongoing complaints about the scheme’s sewers.The Kinross-shire Civic Trust (KCT) has written to government reporter David Buylla urging him to pay particular attention to complaints raised in the last few weeks over trucks having to

Le Mans Crescent, where they are set to remain for the rest of this week.

spending plan put forward by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes was passed with support from Green and Lib Dem MSPs after she reached agreements with both parties on Monday.It will deliver a pay rise for public sector workers, an expansion of the free school meals programme for primary pupils, and free bus travel for those aged 21 and under.But Scottish Labour opposed the Budget after its call for social care workers to receive a pay uplift to £12 an hour was rejected as being too costly.The party

true crime fanatics are wanted to take part in a new Channel 4 series.Murder Island is seeking teams of 'ordinary' telly fans to try their hand at becoming detectives to solve a murder mystery.Participants will have pathologists, forensic scientists, psychologists and more at their disposal.Teams will compete to see if they can identify the suspect and bring them to justice.STV Studios, with headquarters in Glasgow, is producing the series for Channel 4.The deadline for applications is March