Hate crime is an umbrella term. It is used when a criminal offense is committed because of prejudice or hatred the perpetrator has towards the group that the victim is a part of.
The group can be defined based on:
Perpetrators of a hate crime:
The term hate crime does not appear in Icelandic law, but it states that when deciding a punishment, it must be considered if the act was done because of the victim's status.
It is necessary to be able to demonstrate that the offence was committed out of prejudice or hatred towards a group in order for the offence to be defined as a hate crime.
When it comes to offences that are already defined as punishable by law (such as assault, rape, murder and damage to property), it can increase the punishment if the crime was committed because of the victim's status (General Penal Code, Article 70).
Hate speech is when hatred and prejudice against a group is spread through expression, either to individual members of the group or to the group in general.
In Iceland there is freedom of expression, but there are still laws and regulations that apply to expression. One of them is the law on hate speech. It prohibits ridiculing, slandering, insulting or threatening an individual or group because of their origin, colour, race, religion, disability, sexual characteristics, sexual orientation and gender identity (General Penal Code, Article 233 a).
Hate speech can include:
Although there is a law on hate speech, the issue is complex, and it is not a given that all prejudiced expressions fall under hate speech.
There are laws in Iceland that protect people from discrimination when it comes to services and accessibility. The law protects people from discrimination based on their origin, skin colour, race, religion, disability, sexual characteristics, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Some examples of what is illegal:
General Penal Code, Article 180.