Conservatives Join Effort to Classify Misogyny as a Hate Crime in the UK

According to an interview with BBC on October 5, Boris Johnson claims that labeling misogyny as a hate crime will “just increase the problem.” (Wikimedia Commons).

Despite opposition from U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, cross-party support has been extended to amend a major U.K. Crime Reform Bill that would consider misogyny to be a hate crime. The Bill, which is set to enter committee stage in the House of Lords on October 20, was tabled by Conservative Peer Helen Newlove. If passed, the Bill would amend the current  Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill—a piece of legislation first introduced in the House of Commons on March 9—that aims to reform much of Britain’s criminal justice system.

Previous attempts to label misogynistic instances as crimes have yielded mixed results. Eleven out of the forty-three police forces operating in England and Wales already consider instances of misogyny as hate crimes, but this amendment would make such a practice universal. Other attempts to pass legislation against misogyny in the U.K. have failed to gain traction, such as a proposed amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill tabled by Labour PM Stella Creasy in the House of Commons and by Labour peer Alicia Kennedy in the House of Lords.

Currently, the U.K. considers crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender identity to be hate crimes, but gender and sex are not lawfully protected characteristics. Although hate crimes are not considered standalone offenses in England and Wales, offenses motivated against specific identities allow judges to impose harsher sentences.

Calls for this amendment gained traction in September 2020, when the Law Commission published a report stating that these changes would significantly diminish crimes against women. Such calls have intensified r amid several recent, high-profile crimes against women, such as the murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Couzens in March.

Opponents of the amendment argue that the category of misogyny is “too broad.” Former Equalities Minister Victoria Atkins said, “Women are not a minority, and I would be hesitant to put us forward as one.” She further questioned whether only misogynistic crimes against women should be protected, or if any crimes motivated by gender should be considered hate crimes. Similarly, others are concerned that the classification of misogyny as a hate crime would cause all crimes against women to be charged as hate crimes, making hate crimes a standard legal procedure rather than a term reserved to severe cases. 

Johnson, when asked in an interview, said, “I think, to be perfectly frank, if you simply widen the scope of what you ask the police to do you'll just increase the problem.” He continued, “There is abundant statute that is not being properly enforced, and that's what we need to focus on.”

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, another Conservative opposed to considering misogyny a hate crime, added to the controversy by misdefining misogyny—defined as prejudice or discrimination against women—by saying, “misogyny is absolutely wrong, whether it is a man against a woman or a woman against a man.” 

Proponents of the amendment across the U.K.’s political spectrum were quick to respond to Johnson’s and Raab’s comments. Creasy, a longtime advocate for women’s rights, said, “The fact the prime minister dismisses it and doesn't have an alternative plan speaks volumes about whether you can trust Boris Johnson to take this seriously.” Lady Newlove, a member of Johnson’s own party, told the Guardian, “I was dismayed with [Johnson’s response]. Because at the end of the day, we need to fully understand how women feel.”

While past attempts to make misogyny a hate crime failed, this newfound support from members of the Conservative party means proponents of the current amendment are optimistic about its success. Particularly as the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill nears the final stages of the legislative process, this cross-party support makes it likely that the current amend could make its way into law.