Annual Report Discrimination 2015

104 / 121

102
Discrimination and the Roma community, 2015
New police protocol to combat hate crime
On 7 January 2015, the Secretariat of State for Security
of the Ministry of the Interior published its “Action pro-
tocol for law enforcement officials in combating hate
crimes and other acts infringing discrimination laws”.
The design and enforcement of such an instrument will
help police officials to recognise these crimes and fa-
cilitate their proper recording and documentation while
also giving rise to greater protection for those who
suffer from these types of acts.
The document includes a long series of measures in-
cluding:
• A set of indicators or circumstances that police
officers must gather in their reports so that pro-
secutors and judges have sufficient rational proof
of criminality with which to formulate charges
and, as the case may be, achieve convictions.
• A series of criteria that police officers must bear
in mind when assisting, informing and advising
victims.
• The importance of combating manifestations of
hate and intolerance spread by means of new te-
chnologies or at sporting events.
• The creation of the post of “social interlocutor”,
i.e. a police officer acting as a permanent contact
person with associations and NGOs that support
groups susceptible to discrimination and hate cri-
me.
• The creation of a Ministry of the Interior website
with information for victims of hate crime and the
distribution of an information pamphlet on this
topic.
Regarding the Roma community, it is important to
check whether the Protocol’s conceptual definitions in-
clude the definition of anti-Gypsyism or Roma-phobia
described as “manifestations of intolerance including all
forms of hate, discrimination, hostility and violence to-
wards this group based on prejudices and ignorance
with deep historic roots in popular culture.”
The complete protocol is available at:
pdf_no-
ticias/2015_pdf/Igualdad%20y%20No%20 Discrimi-
naci%C3%B3n/PROTOCOLO%20ODIO.pdf
For further information see:
dadano/ delitos-de-odio