'Up the Ra': Scottish police say they are treating 'verbal abuse' of Edwin Poots as a 'hate crime'

It reportedly happened onboard a flight from Glasgow to Belfast on Saturday evening.

"The incident involved another passenger on the flight who engaged in verbal abuse towards Mr Poots,” the DUP has said in a statement.

Images circulating online purport to show police boarding the aircraft.

The PSNI had indicated the matter was being handled by Belfast International Airport’s own specialised police team.

The airport in turn referred the News Letter to Police Scotland.

And Police Scotland have now said: “Around 9.40pm on Saturday, December 12, police received a report of a man subjected to sectarian abuse earlier that evening at Glasgow Airport.

"Enquiries are ongoing into this hate crime.”

No-one has been arrested, they added.

In Northern Ireland, a “hate crime” or “hate incident” will be recorded “where it is perceived that the perpetrator’s hostility or prejudice against any person or property is on the grounds of the victim’s ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, political opinion or disability”, according to the PSNI.

And according to Police Scotland, a “hate crime” is something that is “perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated (wholly or partly) by malice or ill will towards a social group”.

The Scottish constabulary adds: “There are five groups or protected characteristics covered by the hate crime legislation: disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity.

"What does this mean? If someone targets you, or someone else, because of a dislike or prejudice of your disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity then you should report this to the police as a hate crime.

“The person experiencing the hate crime does not always need to be in one of these groups.

“We would look at why the act or offence was committed. We also look at the perception of the people involved.”

More from this reporter:

– Call for new law to curb ‘cultural acceptance of terror’ after alleged 'Up the Ra' incident involving Edwin Poots

– The Bible and free speech: CPS disowns statement that parts of the Bible are unfit to be read aloud in public anymore