Do you describe yourself as a goth, emo, punk, or anything in between? Have you ever described your alternative status as ‘not just a label, but a way of life’? You can now go one step forward because in Manchester, alternative subcultures are now recognised as a race.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph, the Great Manchester police force are taking measures to see attacks on “goths, emos, punks and metallers” registered as hate crimes, as opposed to normal cases of assault, meaning they’d be equated to attacks based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or sexual identity.
Instilling such a law will help police support victims of anti-punk or anti-goth attacks and could result in harsher punishment and sentencing for the attackers than if their crimes were registered as regular assaults.
“People who wish to express their alternative sub-culture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime,” Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said.
The decision has been triggered by tragic events including the death of 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster whose life was cut short after being fatally attacked in a park near Manchester in 2007, preyed upon because of her gothic style of dress. “People who wish to express their alternative sub-culture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime,” – Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan
During the trial of her five teenage attackers, the judge labelled the horrific assault on Lancaster and her boyfriend as a hate crime, which explains the origin of this proposal to change the laws, and vocabulary, surrounding attacks on alternative subcultures.
The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, a charity founded in honour of the deceased teenager, has been campaigning for five years to see the judge’s description of Lancaster’s attackers translated into practicing law.
Sylvia Lancaster, mother of Sophie, has described Manchester police’s recent steps as “a validation of the work [they] have undertaken in the past five years”, and hopes that “other forces will follow [their] lead.”
The foundation’s plight has been received widespread support from hardcore metalheads, grungy goths, and the emo community alike.
“Some people discriminate against somebody else because they are wearing a Slayer T-shirt or have long hair,” said Jay White, 23, speaking to The Daily Telegraph. “They deserve to be brought to justice.”
Joining the allegiance of these alternative lovers are some of their heroes, with big names in music including Courtney Love and Gary Numan declaring their support of the movement.
Hate crimes, by definition, are “a crime, usually violent, motivated by prejudice or intolerance toward a member of a gender, racial, religious, or social group.”
Thus, while it may initially appear odd to equate attacks on people adorned with facial piercings to those of a certain race, they justly fit into the latter category of the dictionary definition, and as such, deserve equal protection in front of the law, hoping to erase extreme persecution over something as base as music preference.
Sadly, the Sophie Lancaster case is not at all rare or unique. English heavy metal fan Ben Moores, 16, suffered serious head injuries at the hands of a group of thugs who shouted “mosher” and “freak” between punches in an unprovoked attack in April last year. While in even more extreme cases of prejudice, Iraqi death squads were known to systematically kill anyone they deemed ’emo-looking‘, while also in the Middle East, an Iranian metal drummer fled the country to seek asylum in Australia follow the government targeting anyone who listens to metal, or “evil music.”
