Stop Hate UK response to latest Hate Crime figures

Yesterday saw the release of the latest Hate Crime figures in England and Wales, issued by the Home Office.

The figures report an overall increase of 17% in overall reports of Hate Crime incidents, to a record high of 94,098, with over 75% classified as a “race hate”.

Sadly, but perhaps not surprisingly given the current political and social climate, there has also been a surge in the number of reports where the motivation of the perpetrator is an individual’s religious beliefs.

The report also shows that over half of all incidents of this kind were directed at Muslims.

Stop Hate UK’s own statistics, for the same period, reflect a similar pattern to those published today by the Home Office, in terms of the overall increase in reports and the motivations behind the incidents.

However, whilst we do agree that their is now a greater ‘willingness to report’ and the figures continue to be affected by ‘Brexit’, there is still much more we all need to do to tackle Hate Crime.

This is especially true as we prepare ourselves for the conclusion of ‘Brexit’ negotiations and the unknown outcomes that will doubtless affect the Hate Crime landscape further.

We must also do more to tackle incidents of online Hate, as the ever-changing patterns in our daily consumption of social media and other online platforms will only increase in the future.

To find out more about the work of Stop Hate UK visit www.stophateuk.org or email info@stophateuk.org

You can view the Home Office Hate Crime Report here.