England: Online hate crimes to be taken as seriously as those face-to-face

Prosecutors in England and Wales have announced plans to treat online hate crimes as seriously as those committed face-to-face.

Writing in The Guardian, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, said an “increasing proportion of hate crime” is carried out online and must be taken seriously.

She also warned that “even low-level offending” can fuel “the kind of dangerous hostility” seen by Britons in media coverage of events in Charlottesville, USA and Barcelona, Spain.

The revised guidance for prosecutors in England and Wales also identifies biphobia as a distinct hate crime for the first time.

It will say victims of biphobic hate crime have different needs and experiences compared to those facing homophobia or transphobia.

Ms Saunders said: “Some may criticise the new approach and guidance for prosecutors as heavy-handed.

“But we must remember the common thread that links online purveyors of hate with those who commit physical hate crimes. That is, the desire to undermine and instil fear in those they target, both individually and collectively.

“The definition of hate crime, recognised by the CPS and police, is ‘any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice’ towards the personal characteristics mentioned above.

“Of course, different types of offences have differing consequences and, as online abuse by its nature cannot cause direct physical harm to a victim, it can never be considered or sentenced in the same way. But we know online hate crime has devastating effects.”