[USA] What's the difference between a bias incident and a hate crime? / Columbia Spectator, 17 October 2007
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/27520
Alix Pianin
"The symbols of racism and intolerance that have rocked Columbia over the past several weeks have brought to light an ambiguous gray area in the legal definitions of racially charged episodes.
According to the New York State Hate Crimes Act of 2000, a hate crime is described as an offence wherein the victim is selected or the crime is committed because of the victim’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability, or sexual orientation. But according to legal scholars, it is sometimes difficult to define what exactly differentiates a hate crime from a bias incident. Hate crimes, said Michael Dorf, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, are bias-motivated threats that target a certain people or group, whereas bias incidents may be abstract statements that are found offensive, but are legally permissible."