The bar for illegal hate is high in the UK, and rightly so. Not every incident reported to the police is a crime, but it is right that people feel safe – especially when at their most vulnerable – and are encouraged to report what has happened. It is sensible that harm can be identified and extremism prevented. Too often in the debate about these non-crime incidents – bogged down in the trenches of the culture wars – the view of those they are there meant to protect is absent.