US political commentator Lauren Chen has branded new Scottish hate crime laws as "the beginning of the end" for free speech after the SNP imposed the controversial legislation earlier this week.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 creates a new crime of "stirring up hatred" relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.
The Act has received harsh criticism from UK politicians and celebrities amid fears it hinders free speech. Speaking to Patrick Christys on GBN America, Chen explained that the SNP's terms could spark "fear of people in your own home reporting you to the police".
She said: "I don't understand what is happening with the Scottish government right now. The idea that the police could say that they won't worry about violent destruction of property but you could get arrested for something that you said in your own home is where they are going to be spending resources.
Lauren Chen said that this could cause "fear of people in your own homes reporting you to the police."
GBN America
"Even in the United States, actual actionable threats are already illegal. You can't tell someone you're going to harm them. It's not allowed. So we've already covered the calls to violence aspect.
"When we look at things like the Scottish Hate Crime Bill, it's so broad that it encompasses any calls to hatred against certain groups, which I think a lot of people are rightly saying that it seems like this could just encompass general criticism.
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"We've seen people who are critical of Islam, in the UK generally, not just Scotland, having run-ins with the police due to things that they've said being labelled as hate.
"It just seems like they are going to be taking this even a step further. I honestly worry that this is the the beginning of the end of the ability to discuss certain issues like religion, like immigration, without fear of having people in your own homes report you or being reported on social media.
Patrick asked her: "I wonder whether or not some of the the Democrats and the hard left in America will be drooling over this particular law in Scotland. Will they be drafting it out where you are at the moment as we speak?"
She responded: "Well, this isn't just a hypothetical. Actually, there are already attempts to put in place certain speech restrictions that are happening right now. Places like New York and California have already tried.
First Minister Humza Yousaf introduced the laws in Scotland
PA"There are attempts, especially if you're an employer or a work situation, to say you can't discriminate on the basis of things such as gender or identity.
"A lot of people are interpreting that to mean, 'hang on a second, does that mean you cannot misgender someone with the wrong pronouns if it's a work environment?'
"So this is already starting in the United States. Thankfully, it's not as far ahead as it is in the UK and Scotland specifically but this is already starting.
"I think when we look at a lot of these trans activists, it's pretty clear they're looking for a lot more than just blanket acceptance.
"'I want you to be nice to me. Don't harass or target me'. They want to impose their world view on you.
"They are so far from being the weak, little victims who are being attacked, as the activists often like to portray them.
"They are very much on the offensive when it comes to your right to free speech and your right to live by your own values and principles, to speak the truth even."
Patrick agreed and said: "Here in Britain, the trans community has much more visibility than the white-skinned working class, and that is just something that is going on. But alas, they still want more."