Goths and Punks Can Now Be Hate Crime Victims in the U.K.
A British police force will now treat violence and abuse against punks and goths as hate crimes.
Offenses committed on grounds of disability, race, religion or sexual orientation are already recognized across the U.K. as hate crimes. But now, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will record crimes against “alternative subcultures”—which include goths, punks, emos, and metallers — in the same way.
In a statement heralding the “major breakthrough,” Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, GMP’s lead on hate crime said:
“We are able to officially recognize that people who wish to express their alternative sub-culture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime - something that many people have to endure on a daily basis.”
Skaters, skinheads, bikers, and bodybuilders would also be recognized as victims of hate crime, as Shewan told Channel 4 News.
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