Rania Hamad University of Edinburgh

Scotland is often considered to be one of the world’s most friendly, welcoming countries, and viewed as having the best LGBT+ legal equality in Europe. Nonetheless, annual data published by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service demonstrates that hate crime and prejudice in all their forms continue to be lived, everyday realities for many of our citizens in Scotland, with 6,019 charges with at least one hate crime element reported in 2024-25. With the broad consensus that hate crime is significantly under-reported, is prejudice and hatred towards other people more of an issue in Scotland than we may think? What drives people to target and harm other people on the basis of certain identity characteristics? And can we truly say that they hate them?

Remarkably, there is little Scottish-based research on the motivations of those who commit hate crime, despite such accounts being central to our understanding of how and why hate crime occurs. To this end, my ongoing PhD research at the University of Edinburgh is focusing on how and why hate crime occurs, by speaking directly to 18 people convicted of hate crime in Scotland (serving both custodial and community sentences) and gaining their in-depth accounts. I hope to be able to add to the existing research in this area, and to explore the different intersecting levels that may contribute to inequalities and hate crime occurring. Greater knowledge of the dynamics of hate crime may better inform the response of justice agencies, including what constitutes effective interventions, and prevent further re-victimisation and harm. This session will outline some of the key theories on the causation of hate crime (including individual motivations), and highlight the potential responses to hate crime, including the opportunities presented by restorative justice.