The Scottish executive has unveiled new laws to clamp down on religious bigotry north of the border.

Launching a new law which will make religious hatred an aggravated offence, Scotland first minister Jack McConnell vowed to stamp out sectarianism.

Publishing the findings of a cross-party working group McConnell said: "Modern Scotland must challenge bigoted attitudes and bigoted behaviour wherever they are found.

"These measures signal our determination that Scotland will no longer tolerate acts of religious hatred. We will act to toughen the law so that courts can more severely punish crimes motivated by sectarianism.

"I want Scotland to be a society where we respect cultural differences and celebrate our rich and diverse religious traditions. I want all Scots to be proud of the Scotland we live in today.

"We need to put sectarianism in the dust-bin of history. Scotland must play a full part in Europe and the global economy, so we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged down by the dead-weight of religious hatred and sectarian bigotry."

Ministers want to see an end to the Protestant-Catholic divide and will seek to end the religious hatred which surrounds Scottish football.

The Scottish government is putting forward new guidelines to ensure that any element of religious motivation or hatred is fully recorded in police reports and is brought before courts.

"Old Firm" matches between clubs such as Rangers and Celtic are regularly the battleground for centuries-old religious enmities.

Football clubs are being urged to take action against supporters, such as banning them from grounds or reducing seat allocations to supporters' clubs.Ministers want to see more information-sharing by the clubs, police and courts on fans who are charged with or convicted of offences near to football grounds.

Tough action will also be taken on street traders who sell material inciting religious bigotry around football stadiums.

The Lord Advocate will also issue up-to-date detailed guidelines to the police on their handling of alleged offences to ensure that any element of religious motivation or hatred is fully recorded in their report to the procurator fiscal.

The SNP has questioned the need for new legislation, suggesting that ministers should use existing laws to clamp down on religious bigots.

"Everyone is in full agreement that we need to find ways to tackle sectarianism and religious hatred, but we also have to ensure that any new measures are genuinely effective," said the party's Roseanna Cunningham.

"Very real concerns have been raised by the police that new legislation would be unworkable. Perhaps more worryingly, however, are the concerns of the Crown Office that it may make it harder to secure a conviction.

"These problems were outlined to the working group and there was broad agreement that given the political will, existing law could be used to tackle sectarianism effectively."

The executive is inviting feedback on its proposals by mid-March 2003.