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Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

The whole point of the new clause is that individuals will not have to make such a decision because they will not have the power to make an arrest. People will have the power—and, indeed, the duty in my view—to report what has happened to the police so that they can carry out an investigation and make an arrest if necessary. The safeguards represent the necessary high tests. It could be argued—members of the Committee might remember that I tried my best to argue this—that they will be sufficient to cover the new offence. However, I have listened carefully to people, as I promised to do, and thus acknowledge the concerns expressed in Committee about the possibility of an over-zealous interpretation being made.