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Knee-jerk reactions not the way to make laws

November 15, 2006 12:00 AM

Responding to Lord Goldsmith's comments on the need to plug the hate law 'gap', Liberal Democrat Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesman and Attorney General, Simon Hughes MP said:

"Whatever one may think of the BNP surely it is wrong for the Attorney General to be calling for the amendment of legislation that has yet to come into force and be tested in practice.

"We need to see how the Racial and Religious Hatred Act will work in our courts before we start thinking again.

"Knee-jerk reactions to specific cases cannot and must not be the best basis on which to make our laws."

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