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<p>Hate crimes are criminal behaviour and may be prosecuted in England and Wales using
the full range of criminal offences. Sections 29 to 32 of the Crime and Disorder Act
1998 set out racially and religiously aggravated offences covering wounding, assault,
damage, harassment (including stalking) and threatening/abusive behaviour which carry
higher sentences than equivalent non-aggravated offences. Sections 18 to 23 of the
Public Order Act 1986 contain offences of stirring up racial hatred and sections 29B
to 29G contain offences of stirring up hatred on grounds of religion or sexual orientation.
There is also an offence of racialist chanting at football matches in section 3 of
the Football Offences Act 1991.</p><p> </p><p>Sections 145 and 146 of the Criminal
Justice Act 2003 make it an aggravating factor for the purposes of sentencing if at
the time of committing the offence, or immediately before, the offender demonstrated
hostility towards the victim on the basis of their race, religion, disability, sexual
orientation or transgender identity or that the offence was motivated by hostility
towards persons who had that characteristic. Under paragraph 5(2)(g) of Schedule 21
to the 2003 Act., murder motivated by hostility on the grounds of any of these characteristics
attracts a life sentence with a 30 year starting point for the minimum term.</p>
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