A NEW campaign has been launched to tackle hate crime in Scotland.

The ‘Hate has no home in Scotland’ initiative aims to increase the understanding and reporting of crimes motivated by hate.

More than 5,300 cases of hate crime were reported in Scotland over the past year, with many other incidents going unreported.

The campaign will highlight the role of bystanders in speaking out against such crimes and reporting them to police.

The scheme, backed by the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the Crown Office, launches during Hate Crime Awareness Week and will run until November 26.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said: “We all need to play our part to eradicate hate crime, which has no place in Scotland. ‘Hate has no home’ encourages and empowers people to recognise hate crime and report it, stopping this discrimination at its source.

“That is particularly important when people are bystanders – no one should be a passive witness when one of our fellow citizens is attacked because of who they are. Ensuring we all take a stand and report hate crime is an important part of creating a fairer country for all.” From today British Transport Police Scotland officers will be spreading the message that hate crime is not acceptable.

Officers will have stands at stations such as Motherwell, Glasgow and Stirling. They will also be talking about how they tackle hate crime and support victims, and will be providing practical advice on what you should do if you are a victim or witness it.