Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says the debate on hate crime legislation must take place both in the chamber and with the public.

As much as we all condemn crimes motivated by hatred, we will no doubt have a range a views on how to tackle it, Mr McArthur states.

On the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act repeal, the Lib Dem MSP criticises the minister for her comments about opposition MSPs during the debate.

Let's avoid descending into some of the "hyperbolic" speech that characterised that debate during the next one, he urges.

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Green MSP John Finnie says if we can adopt the approach that an attack on one is an attack on all, we can mark out the sort of communities we want.

The Green MSP explains prevention of hate crimes will be dealt with by education.

Mr Finnie warns hate messages can spread far and wide in social media and lambasts the levels of misogyny female politicians face.

Hate crime aggravations apply when someone is convicted of an offence, such as assault or breach of the peace, which involves hostility based on one of the protected characteristics.

This can include words uttered in the heat of the moment while the offence is being committed, for example using a racial or religious expletive while assaulting someone.

The aggravations are not specific offences, but are used to flag up the hate aspect of a crime - which the judge can take into account when passing sentence.

Mr Johnson welcomes recommendations to improve the hate crime legislation landscape, including consolidation.

This will help the future creation of new protected identities in a uniform way, he suggests.

Stirring up hatred against groups is morally wrong, so it is right the this should not just cover hate against race but other characteristics too, the Labour MSP argues.

Mr Johnson welcomes the suggestions of new age and gender aggravations, though he recognises several arguments in favour of making misogyny a separate offence.

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Lord Bracadale makes a total of 22 recommendations, which also include:

• A suggestion that courts could be allowed to recognise offences that involve the exploitation of vulnerable people - for example fraud offences against elderly or disabled people
• Intersex should be made a separate characteristic from transgender identity, and consideration should be given to removing outdated terms from the definition of transgender
• No new legislation is needed to tackle online hate crime as existing laws are sufficient

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Labour MSP Daniel Johnson begins by paying tribute to Lord Bracadale not just for the "excellent report" but also the way he conducted his inquiry.

Mr Johnson says the report highlights the harm hate crime causes and the profound affect on victims.

The Labour MSP highlights the symbolic message of hate crime legislation.

He insists hate crime legislation has practical benefits to allow the measurement of the levels of prejudice.

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Lord Bracadale says new age and gender aggravations should be introduced in addition to the existing hate crime laws, which currently cover race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity.

He also says it should be an offence to "stir up" hatred by encouraging others to hate people who have one of the protected characteristics.

Current law only deals with the stirring up of racial hatred, but Lord Bracadale says it should be extended to apply to all of the protected groups.

However, he stressed that the legal provisions should include measures that protect freedom of expression.

The Tory MSP highlights older people are often specifically targeted for certain crimes, due to their perceived or real vulnerability.

The same is true for crimes targeted towards disabled people, he adds.

Mr Kerr urges the minister to "waste no time" in bringing forward proposals.

The benefits of restorative justice is touched on by the member and he suggests this may be particularly useful when it comes to hate crime.

Turning to the impact of the repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, Mr Kerr highlights the report indicates no gap in legislation as a result.

Lord Bracadale says someone singing or shouting racist words at a football match could be charged with a racially aggravated breach of the peace, or behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

He added: "Thus, hate crime offences committed in the context of a regulated football match held in Scotland could be prosecuted in Scotland under pre-existing criminal law.

"This would extend to behaviour occurring outside the football ground or on a journey to or from a match."

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Opposition MSPs united at Holyrood to repeal the Football Act in March, arguing that it was unworkable, unnecessary and treated football fans as "second class citizens".

The Scottish government argued that scrapping the legislation would send out the message that parliament was happy to allow "toxic behaviour" at matches to go "unchecked and unchallenged".

And it said the act should be "strengthened and improved" rather than repealed.

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Tory MSP Liam Kerr tells the chamber the real level of hate crime is widely accepted to be much higher than is reported.

Mr Kerr says his party is happy to back many of Lord Bracadale's recommendations.

He agrees all hate crime legislation should be consolidated.

The Tory MSP explains his party is eager to look at any proposals the government brings forward, adding this is a really important area and we must get it right.

Ms Ewing recognises some disappointment from stakeholders about Lord Bracadale's recommendations and she encourages engagement with the Scottish government on this.

"Hate crime undermines society as a whole because it makes people fear each other and creates barriers between communities."

Everyone needs to place a part in resolving it, the minister adds.

We must challenge the behaviour of those who are abusive and offer support to those who have been abused, Ms Ewing states.

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Ms Ewing praises the engagement and consultation of Lord Bracadale's review.

The community safety and legal affairs minister informs the chamber the recommendations will form the basis for wider discussion with the view to a consultation in due course.

The findings of the consultation will be used to inform a consolidated hate crime bill.

The minister points out Lord Bracadale recommended the introduction of new aggravators on gender and age hostility.

It also suggested extending the law against stirring up racial hatred to all protected characteristics, she notes.

Legal Affairs and Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing begins by highlighting Scotland is not immune from prejudicial behaviour and attitudes.

We want to ensure people have robust opportunities under law to gain access to justice if they are subject to such prejudice, she states.

Ms Ewing emphasises it is "completely and utterly unacceptable" for anyone to be victimised simply for who they are.

The minister thanks Lord Bracadale and his advisors for the recently published review of hate crime legislation.

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New laws to tackle offensive behaviour at Scottish football matches are not needed, a senior judge has concluded.

Lord Bracadale said football hate crime could effectively be dealt with using existing laws - for example breach of the peace.

The Scottish government's controversial Football Act was repealed by opposition MSPs at Holyrood earlier this year.

At the time, the government criticised its opponents for not proposing anything to replace it.

But Lord Bracadale, who was commissioned by the Scottish government last year to examine the country's hate crime laws, said no new legislation was required to specifically cover football matches.

• Read the full report, external

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His report also says the country's hate crime legislation should be expanded to cover offences aggravated by somebody's gender or age.

And he says all of Scottish hate crime laws should be consolidated into a single piece of legislation.

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The Scottish government will now debate Lord Bracadale's independent review of hate crime legislation.

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Scotland will lead the way in the UK in ensuring the experiences of those affected by the Miners’ Strike in the 1980s are properly understood, the Justice Secretary has said.

Michael Matheson has ordered an independent review into the impact of policing on communities during the Miners’ Strike, from March 1984 to March 1985.

Mr Matheson has appointed John Scott QC Solicitor Advocate to lead the review, supported by an advisory panel comprising Dennis Canavan (former MP and MSP), Jim Murdoch (Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow) and Kate Thomson (former Assistant Chief Constable).

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Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur pays tribute to Neil Findlay for his efforts on this.

The chairing by John Scott should give reassurance to mining communities and the police, he says.

Mr McArthur asks if the minister is aware of any cases of miscarriages of justice being brought forward.

Mr Matheson says he is not aware of any individual cases but highlights there is a legal mechanism for anyone who believes they have a case relating to a miscarriage of justice.

In March the BBC reported that campaigners had walked out of a public inquiry into undercover policing, demanding that the chairman stand down or appoint a full panel.

The inquiry was set up in 2015 to investigate claims of wrongdoing by forces in England and Wales.

But campaigners were unhappy that ex-undercover officers were granted anonymity during the proceedings.

Phillippa Kaufmann QC, representing campaigners, said core participants could not participate meaningfully.

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