Internet bigots could face five years' jail

Published on Sunday 15 May 2011 19:15

The Scottish Government is to introduce new laws to clamp down on online bigotry, with offenders facing up to five years in jail.

First Minister Alex Salmond warned that the internet was being abused by those who sought to "spread hatred".

A crackdown was first promised after the controversial Old Firm cup clash in March, which culminated in coaches Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist squaring up on the touchline.

But the parcel bombs sent to Lennon and prominent Celtic supporters led to a wave of online sectarian abuse directed at the Celtic manager, with two young footballers sacked by their clubs over posts on social networking sites.

Mr Salmond said: "I am determined that the authorities have the powers they need to clamp down effectively on bigotry peddled online.

"The Scottish Government will bring forward legislation as soon as we can to make such online behaviour, including posts on sites like Facebook and Twitter, an indictable offence with a maximum punishment of five years in jail."