I think I've understood from the discussion that in the UK there has to be a criminal offence before it can be a categroised as a hate crime. Which is actually news to me, from the press I had been under the impression there was a whole new set of criminal offences that potentially impacted free speech.

So making a speech saying an influx of martians would be bad for the country could not be construed in itself as a hate crime against martians. Making a speech inciting people to go out and assault martians because they are bad for the country would in the first instance be incitement to commit assault and then further categorised as a hate crime.

Have I got it right? Are other countries laws similar.

The last paragraph of the original article make a good point about hate laws ghettoizing the hated and the perceived hating group, although with no evidence to prove the assertion. If it does have this effect then it will be a bad day for our societies.