Manchester, UK police have seriously created a law about violence against those sub-cultures a hate crime, and I'm pretty torn about it.
So here's the skinny on the law, straight from the Guardian article–
Police in Manchester have said they will begin recording offences against members of alternative subcultures in the same way they do attacks based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity.
The Greater Manchester police force – the first in Britain to take the step – said that "goths, emos, punks and metallers" and members of other alternative groups have often endured abuse.
"People who wish to express their alternative sub-culture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime," Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said.
I see where they're coming from, and the intention is good, but it's an ill-thought move. Why just leave it at those sub-cultures? Why not say that it's a hate-crime to beat up anyone who walks around in public wearing a My Little Pony shirt? What about people with tattoos- why isn't violence against them a hate crime? It boils down to "violence against this group is a hate crime because they are a culture of people who enjoy the same thing and express it in the way they present themselves in a social setting." The guy wearing an MLP shirt belongs to a culture just as much as a girl who has a tattoo… so why aren't those hate crimes now?
This is insane. Then, what if the punk antagonizes the living hell out of someone and then proceeds to get their ass beaten (and in this hypothetical situation, it's warrant)? Now it's a hate crime. Great. So hey, sound off in the comments; are we setting a dangerous social precedent by classifying hate crimes against people who choose their group as opposed to something like race?
