Sen. wants stronger penalties for hate crimes

Rasa - Senator Richard Blumenthal says he’s going to introduce a bill to make hate crime penalties tougher.

News ID: 425931

Date: 20 December 2016 - 23:59

RNA - Senator Richard Blumenthal says he’s going to introduce a bill to make hate crime penalties tougher.

Blumenthal met with Muslim leaders Friday morning to discuss hate crimes and hate speech targeting that community. This includes a hate-filled letter sent to the New Haven Islamic Center earlier this month.

The FBI says hate crimes against Muslim Americans were up 67 percent last year.

Senator Blumenthal says President-elect Trump and other leaders need to take a strong position against hate driven behavior.

“The hate crimes against Muslims are only the beginning of the kind of disintegration of tolerance in this country that will occur if there is a failure in leadership,” said Blumenthal.

Along with stronger penalties to deter hate crimes, Blumenthal says his bill will let victims sue those who commit them.

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