Manchester now treats attacks on goths and other alternative subcultures as hate crimes
“Police in Manchester have said they will begin recording offen[s]es against members of alternative subcultures in the same way they do attacks based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity,” reports The Guardian.
The Manchester police made its decision in response to the fatal attack five-years ago on Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend.
“Even though Manchester police are recording the attacks at hate crimes, England’s courts cannot acknowledge the special designation. The country’s [statutes] say crimes can be motivated by hate only when they’re committed due to a victim’s race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity,” notes the International Business Times.
This decision by the Manchester Police may not impact the prosecution of crimes against goths, but it makes it seem more likely that goths eventually will be given protected status in England. In any event, it is a good policy — if you are going to have hate-crime laws, then you should have to include goths as a protected group.
Siouxsie Law 