Letter: Perhaps the Stormont parties don't want to be hoist by their own petard on hate speech

I write regarding the absence of any hate crime or hate speech legislation emanating from the Stormont executive in relation to anti-Protestant bigotry, anti-Catholic bigotry, misogyny (hatred of women and girls), antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobic crime and xenophobia.

What does it mean when the PSNI say that they they treat such evils as hate crime? Does it mean anything?

Why does the Stormont executive refuse to legislate on such current hate and push their responsibility onto the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Equalities Commission?

Perhaps it is the case that Sinn Fein, DUP, Alliance and Ulster Unionists don’t want to be ‘hoisted by their own petard’.

Gerry Cullen, Independent Left, Dungannon