We have a long experience of dealing with hate crime in Britain. In 1958 nine Teddy boys armed themselves with chair legs and iron bars and set about tormenting any black men they could find in Notting Hill. They were caught and brought before Mr Justice Salmon. The judge was taking no nonsense: he sent them down for a stiff four years apiece, adding these simple words: ‘Everyone, irrespective of the colour of their skins, is entitled to walk through our streets in peace with their heads erect and free from fear.’
Yesterday’s very sensible report from the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities showed a similar exemplary approach to the subject. ‘Everyone,’ it succinctly stated, ‘no matter their background, should be able to live their lives without fear of becoming a victim of a hate crime… There is no place for hate crime, and when it occurs, communities need to see action being taken to address it.’
The simplicity of this idea, and the generality of the words ‘no matter their background’, are important.
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