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Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

I have one final point to make regarding the protection of freedom of expression. Noble friends around me are assuring the Committee that there is no problem here. If there is none, I cannot see why it should not be in the Bill—and if there is no problem, why do so many people think that there is? That is due to confusion about the nature of the Bill, which would be sorted out by the amendments. On my noble friend’s point about the constable, I assume—with all due deference to other colleagues on the Committee, for I am not a lawyer—that the constable may arrest without warrant anyone who, he reasonably suspects, is committing it. ““Reasonable suspicion”” would include suspecting the intention of the person.