The Justice Committee takes evidence on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill.
MSPs ask ministers topical questions
Delivering for Scotland’s British Sign Language (BSL) Communities: Launch of the BSL National Plan statement
MSPs debate unconventional oil and gas
Image source, SDSASDSA
The SDSA , externalwas launched in October 2010.
Membership is open to disabled supporters,their personal assistants,family and friends who support clubs at all league levels in Scotland.
Regular meetings take place which all members are welcome to attend.
Sandy Riach from the Scottish Disabled Supporters' Association says to get rid of the legislation completely is wrong as something needs to be kept in place for the future.
Mr Riach says he is against the repeal and calls for a review of the legislation.
Image source, bbc
Image source, Stonewall ScotlandStonewall Scotland
Stonewall Scotland, external are among the organisations giving evidence to Holyrood's Justice Committee about the proposed repeal bill.
The gay equality and LGBT rights campaigners were supporters of the original Act in 2012 as it would help crack down on homophobia within football and on online abuse.
In a written submission to MSPs on the committee the organisation said it would be "concerned" about an outright repeal of the current law, but does believe a "detailed review" is needed five years after the controversial Act.
In its written evidence to the committee, Stonewall Scotland said the Scottish government should conduct the review, focussing on how the law is being implemented and if necessary reformed so that it is "consistently" used to tackle different prejudiced behaviours.
Read the Stonewall Scotland submission in full here. , external
Colin Macfarlane from Stonewall Scotland says the charity supports the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Behaviour Act.
Mr Macfarlane says there are implementation issues and he says it is time for a review to look at what is working and what is not working.
He says this should be done on completion of the hate crime review being carried out by Lord Bracadale..
Mr Macfarlane says repealing the Act would send the wrong message to LGBT people.
Image source, SacroSacro
Organisations concerned about how society treats its offenders are also backing moves to scrap the anti-sectarianism laws.
Sacro - whose aims include safeguarding communities by reducing offending - insists the move to repeal the Act is "appropriate".
It believes that there are already enough pre-existing criminal laws in Scotland to tackle such issues as inciting public disorder via offensive behaviour.
In written evidence already submitted to the Justice Committee, Sacro Chief Executive Tony Halpin argues that "experience has shown that the application of the 2012 Act is not common or consistent in enforcement and prosecution action".
Sacro also believes there are better ways to deal with those involved with sectarianism instead of "stigmatising" them.
In its submitted evidence it adds that often these are people who have "a more disadvantaged background in the first instance".
Image source, bbcTom Halpin from Safeguarding Communities - Reducing Offending (Sacro) says there is an inconsistency in the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Behaviour Act.
Mr Halpin says, on balance, the broader legislation is there, despite initial support from Sacro for the Act.
He says giving fixed penalty tickets to someone does not change their attitude.
Image source, bbcThe law was intended to discourage overtly sectarian behaviour in and around Scottish football matches
MSPs have voted to urge the Scottish government to repeal its Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.
Opposition parties all back scrapping the act, and united to hand the government a symbolic defeat.
Labour's James Kelly has lodged a member's bill aiming to repeal the legislation, and the Tories put the matter forward for debate.
SNP MSPs defended the legislation, saying opponents have not put forward any viable alternatives.
The Offensive Behaviour at Football Act (OBFA) became law in 2012, carried by the votes of the SNP majority government of the time despite opposition from all other parties.
With the SNP now a minority administration, it has come under pressure from opposition groups who maintain that the law is poorly written, unnecessary in light of existing offences and unfairly targets football fans.
Danny Boyle says the issue of sectarianism is highly contested.
The representative of BEMIS says hate crime is quite clear but the general jargon around sectarianism is a problem, "clouding the broader narrative" in what the Act aims to achieve.
Image source, BEMISBemis , external(Black and ethnic minority Infrastructure in Scotland) opposed the law from the outset, believing it to be the "wrong approach" to tackling hate crime north of the border.
It insists many of the legal definitions contained within the legislation lacked clarity and suffered from "ambiguity".
The organisation also insisted that simply disagreeing with the wording and scope of the existing law did not mean critics are "pro-sectarian".
In written evidence to the committee, Bemis says "we support" Mr Kelly's repeal bill based on a legal, social and human rights-based assessment of the 2012 Act.
Image source, bbcThe video stream is back! Gremlins banished.
Justice Committee convener Margaret Mitchell asks if the witnesses are in favour of repealing the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act.
Danny Boyle from the Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland says his organisation does support the repeal of the Act.
Mr Boyle says it does not effectively tackle hate crime.
Image source, bbcThe Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MSPs united in November last year to back a motion calling for the repeal of the Act by 64 votes to 63, inflicting an embarrassing defeat on the Scottish government.
The repeal bill was lodged by Labour MSP James Kelly in June this year and is currently at Stage One of Holyrood's legislative process.
Opponents of the law say it is poorly written, unnecessary in light of existing legislation and unfairly targets football fans, with the Fans Against Criminalisation campaign group staging protests against it.
Mr Kelly's public consultation on his Member's Bill found 71 % of respondents support scrapping the Act.
However ministers argue that opponents have not put forward any viable alternatives to tackling sectarianism at football and that scrapping it would send out the wrong message on offensive behaviour
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Image source, PAFootball supporters including the Fans Against Criminalisation group have staged rallies against the Act
MSPs will now take evidence on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill from:
The committee suspends briefly.
The Justice Committee recommends that the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2017 [draft], external is approved.
Apologies for the loss of video stream at the moment, we are working to fix the technical gremlin.
I'll keep publishing posts until then.
If you wish to watch the video on Parliament TV click here., external
Image source, bbcThe Justice Committee, external is taking evidence on the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2017 [draft], external from:
The Justice Committee, external will shortly take evidence on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill, external.
Before that MSPs will take evidence on the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2017 [draft], external from:
They will then consider the following negative instrument:
Good morning and welcome to Holyrood Live on 24 October 2017.
We begin this morning with the Justice Committee as it takes evidence on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill.
After topical questions, the government will deliver a ministerial statement on the BSL National Plan.
Image source, Getty Images/BBCMSPs will then debate unconventional oil and gas, following the government's announcement of an "effective ban" on fracking.
Finally Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald will lead a member’s debate entitled ‘Workforce Concerns Regarding Helicopter Safety in the North Sea’.