Fifty years ago, as a young gay man, I left Scotland because I saw it as a particularly backward and bigoted country (Scotland’s hate crime law may be well intentioned, but the police should not stymie public debate, 1 April). In recent decades, I’ve been amazed by its transformation into being seemingly more progressive than the rest of the UK. How sadly ironic that, while still claiming to fly under those same liberal colours, the Scottish government has now enacted punitive legislation that undermines almost everything that has been achieved.
Simon Jenkins might be going a tad far in drawing a parallel with China under Chairman Mao, but the line between well-meant progressivism and authoritarianism is a fine one. With this dangerous new law, Scotland has now crossed that line and is heading backwards. I’ll be staying in England.
Alan Clark
London
• I intensely dislike organised religion of all kinds. If I were to say what I feel about how it steals the life and love that belong to the animal body and gives them to an artificially created idea of a soul that lives on for ever in an afterlife that is somehow more important than this one, then over 4 billion people would be offended. That should keep the police in my part of Scotland busy for some time.
Anne Geraghty
Kirn, Argyll and Bute
• I write from the US, where freedom of expression is sacrosanct. I am dismayed that a European country has opted to stifle discourse. No good will come of this law. Freedom of speech is far more important than the overwrought sensitivities of some.
Charles J Corrigan
Euless, Texas, US
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