Scotland's community safety minister has launched a marketing campaign to explain the government's controversial new hate crime laws, due to take effect from April 1. 

Siobhian Brown said the Hate Hurts adverts would run until 31 March across Scottish Government social media channels, TV and outdoor billboards, and encourage "those who have witnessed or experienced a hate crime to come forward."

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The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act was passed by MSPs in March 2021 and will create a new offence of stirring up hatred against protected characteristics, including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Despite several climb-downs by ministers during the legislation’s final Holyrood stages, a number of concerns remain.

While amendments designed to strengthen the protection of free speech were passed unanimously, another that would have included women as a protected group under the legislation was defeated.

Instead, a separate Misogyny Bill is due to be tabled in Holyrood before the summer recess.

Ms Brownsaid: "Nobody in our society should live in fear or be made to feel like they don’t belong, and the Scottish Government is committed to building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice.

“Hate crime is behaviour that is both criminal and rooted in prejudice. It can be verbal, physical, online or face to face.

“The new law will give greater protections to those who need it and helps to form the basis of understanding about the type of behaviour that is not acceptable in our society.

“We must do all we can to give victims and witnesses the confidence to report instances of hate crime, which is why we have launched a new campaign, Hate Hurts."

The minister said the campaign was "informed by lived experience and explains what a hate crime is, the impact it has on victims and how to report it.”

She insisted the government respected "everyone’s right to freedom of expression".

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Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain, the hate crime prevention lead for Police Scotland, said: “Hate crime is vile and wrong.

“To target a person, a group or a community because of who they are, how they look or how they choose to live their lives undermines freedoms and rights we are entitled to enjoy as human beings.

“We know it can be hard for people to report a hate crime, and in some cases to even recognise or acknowledge that they have been a victim.

“We want everyone targeted by hate crime, or those who witness it, to have confidence to come forward.

“They can be assured they will be treated with dignity and respect, and that the circumstances they report will be fully investigated.”

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said: "Scotland’s police officers have been pushed to breaking point by relentless SNP cuts, so expecting them to enforce this flawed legislation should not be a priority.

“The belated enforcement of Humza Yousaf’s flawed and dangerous Hate Crime Act comes days after Police Scotland admitted they won't investigate a range of other crimes.

“The Scottish Conservatives would bin this law, which risks harming free speech, and instead recruit 1,000 extra officers to keep our communities safe."