Hate crime: Police record attacks on punks, emos and goths.

A police force has begun recording attacks on members of subcultures, such as goths and emos, as hate crimes.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Sophie Lancaster was beaten to death in 2007 for no reason other than the way she looked.




I come from Manchester and while growing up I belonged to what you may say was a Goth/indie rock sub culture and was accosted on my way home from a pub by around 10 people who asked me "Are you a student cos If you are you are gonna get a kickin" I was not a student and avoided the kicking by proving I worked as a fishmonger by telling them "I am a fishmonger smell my hands" (I always stunk of fish couldn't get rid of the smell ) one big geezer actually smelt my hands and said "Ok you can go".
I think this may help people who have been attacked so for once good on you GMP

Hate crime, is there such a thing as a "Love" crime?

If it is illegal to commit murder, why should it be MORE illegal to murder a certain type of person? If assault, rape, ect are already illegal, why should there be a harsher punishment if the crime is committed against a protected special group? Are some lives more important than others?

reply to post by boymonkey74


I highly doubt she was beaten to death because the way she looked, she was most likely beaten to death because whomever was the killer(s) had mental problems. They were just able to convince someone that they were worthy of a badge and the power that comes with it(most killers are not foaming at mouth beasts as they would have you believe, but intelligent sociopaths). Pretty soon everything will be a hate crime. If you steal a candy bar that means you hate corporations, and will get a 5 year minimum sentence. I dislike the new wave of political correctness, its just a way for them to have power over us

reply to post by DocHolidaze


Well if the killer's motive revolves around some kind of hatred for the victim, then the hate crime moniker isn't far-fetched at all.

I never understood why people try to pick on and fight others. I guess the animal in us wants to control and make fun of people who dress differently.

I had never heard of this happening until I heard a song that talks about her. I was wondering who this Sophie was that is mentioned in the song so I looked it up. I was appalled. I guess I am fortunate to live in an area where that hasn't been touched by this type of hate yet.

Originally posted by Carreau
Hate crime, is there such a thing as a "Love" crime?

If it is illegal to commit murder, why should it be MORE illegal to murder a certain type of person? If assault, rape, ect are already illegal, why should there be a harsher punishment if the crime is committed against a protected special group? Are some lives more important than others?

I was speaking to my Dad about this earlier..
I mean, shouldn't the police be protecting everyone equally? or do "minorities" deserve more justice than others?

This is a dreadful crime but I think that somehow this move will make them more of a target because they will been seen as getting special treatment.

No, in my opinion the police should be protecting everyone equally.

If you are choosing who you attack because of their appearance, I'm pretty sure there's some sort of perverse hatred at work in your decision-making processes. I have nothing against such people being treated differently than your average thug who just attacks someone because they can't handle their drink and has no rhyme or reason behind their outbursts of thuggery.

reply to post by VaterOrlaag


all murders have emotion involved directly or indirectly, hate is only one of the reasons people are murdered. The ones in charge just use that word because it sounds so evil.

reply to post by DocHolidaze

she was beaten to death because of how she looked , i remember the case well , they even almost killed her boyfriend at the same time , it was an unprovoked attack by a gang of teen scum .

reply to post by tom.farnhill


oh i was under the impression that cops beat her to death, im sorry i misread.

Either way though, I stand by my statement that "hate crimes" and political correctness are bs. It is sad that a such a young person was taken away from her loved ones in such a painful manner. On the other hand death comes for us all. It is what our death means, that really matters. If I was beaten to death for being native American or (add social group here), I would hope that my face and my memory would not be used to further the agenda of The Powers That Be. I would hope people would remember me for who i was. I would also hope that people could say I took a couple of the bastards with me. If she fought back then she died a warriors death. We should all have that honor, it beats rotting in a nursing home trying to remember your grandchild's name.

I hope the bastards that attacked without honor we dealt with accordingly, if they weren't, karma will find them, and just maybe they will end up rotting in a nursing home trying to remember their grandchild's name, but will always remember the time they killed a girl for no reason other than blood-lust. That is the worst punishment I can imagine.

reply to post by boymonkey74


This is ridiculous. This is another point on the homosexual agenda. To make a crime against someone based on their orientation or color or gender a higher crime. Shouldn't murder be murder and a buttkicking be a buttkicking? What difference does it make why a MURDER was committed? Murder is murder. Just pure agenda.

reply to post by Christian Voice


What does the concept of hate crime have to do with homosexuality?

reply to post by SouthExpected


(He isn't worth it)


Back to the topic this will help other victims come forward, of course murder is murder but the only reason this poor girl was killed was because she looked differently.
It also means training will be given to the police about the sub cultures described and hopefully they will become more understanding to people belonging in that sub culture.

reply to post by SouthExpected


Because they are the first ones to scream "HATE" !
If you disagree with them then you hate them. If a homosexual got his butt whipped the only possible motive behind it could be because he was gay. Wouldn't have anything to do with anything else at all. And I guess the only motive behind attacking a black person would be hate. Seems to me that a straight white male is the only being on this planet that cannot possibly be the victim of a hate crime. Whatever,,,, again, murder is murder and like someone else said in an earlier post everyone deserves equal protection by the police. Not just minorities and homosexuals.

I don't think punks, emos, goths etc. qualify as a race.

reply to post by boymonkey74


i saw this on the news a couple of days ago, thought the idea of coppers debating the precise youth sub-culture of some duffed-up teen ghoulishly humourous.. and if some teen metal head gets a kicking would he stick on some black eyeliner, say he's a goth and get his attacker in hotter water? will people be insulted if the coppers suggest that they are emo's? how punk is punk? what about the crusty skater kids? are hippies too old to qualify? and does this mean you can now legally beat up a chav? the mind boggles and i would love to see the police's guidance on this, let alone being a fly on the wall at their training sessions

Those can't be any real punks, i can see the goth and emo kids** maybe getting picked to get their ass kick but any *punk* would
be kicking ass or atleast tried too.

The first one has been recorded today.

Hate crime: First arrest for attack on emo teenager

Two people have been arrested over an assault on an emo teenager - a week after police began recording attacks on subculture members as hate crimes.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the first force in the UK to register such offences.

A 16-year-old boy describing himself as an emo was assaulted in Ashton town centre on Monday, officers said.

A 14-year-old boy and a 44-year-old man from Manchester have been arrested on suspicion of assault.

They have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.