Alliance welcomes Hate Crime law to protect disabled

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 17th Jun 2004

Alliance Party Victims Spokesperson, Eileen Bell MLA, has welcomed the decision by the Criminal Justice Minister that Hate Crime legislation will be extended to include attacks upon persons with disabilities.

Eileen Bell said:

"This is an important addition to the forthcoming Hate Crime legislation. The Government has listened to the representations that have been made by a number of key organisations over the past months.

"Northern Ireland is now set to pioneer Hate Crime laws dealing with homophobia and hostility against people with a disability.

"It is now four years since the Alliance Party first made proposals to the Government that Hate Crime legislation should be introduced here.

"The important thing now is that the Government moves with speed to get these laws onto the statute books."