Call for attacks on religious leaders to be made a hate crime as police records give glimpse of tide of everyday violence against priests and vicars from attacks with sticks and stones to being bitten by dogs and even people
John Bingham. DailyTelegraph. 5 January 2014
It has always been a criminal offense to attack people and the capacity in which a person has been attacked has always been recorded. There is an issue with logging attacks on clergy specifically as a hate crime that I can for-see. That is that it is possible just possible that if the clergy are approaching members of the public that it could be interpreted as provocation. In instances where trespass is the case , Churches are said to be public property. Physical attacks are not acceptable, but do we then start arresting clergy for the abuse of vulnerable people because they say things which they do not understand. As some readers will know from their role in prisons probation hospitals courts and schools working with vulnerable people is a risk. .It may be an emotional risk or it might be sexual or physical but it is always a risk But is it targeted hate crime, rather than just because it is the clergy rather than any other professional or person who is there