Last week I supported National Hate Crime Awareness Week (8th-15th October). The theme for Wales this year was #WalesTogether

Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s:

• Disability
• race or ethnicity
• religion or belief
• sexual orientation
• gender

This can be committed against a person or property.

A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.

National Hate Crime Awareness Week aims to encourage the authorities (Government, Police and Councils), key partners (the anti-hate crime sector and voluntary sector organisations), and communities affected by hate crime (disability, faith, gender identity, race, and sexual orientation) to work together to tackle local hate crime issues across the UK.

The core value of the week is to stand in solidarity with those affected by hate crime, to remember those we have lost, and support those who need ongoing support.

The National Hate Crime Statistics for England and Wales 2021/2022 were published by the Home Office on 6 October. The statistics show a 35% increase in recorded hate crimes across Wales compared to 2020/2021. There were 6,295 recorded hate crimes across the four Welsh Police Force Areas of which:

• 3,888 (62%) were race hate crimes;
• 1,329 (21%) were sexual orientation hate crimes;
• 227 (4%) were religion hate crimes;
• 864 (14%) were disability hate crimes; and
• 247 (4%) were transgender hate crimes.

Here, North Wales Police saw an increase of 33%.

The reported hate crimes against transgender people rose by 58% across England and Wales.

There were increases of 71% in reported disability hate crimes, a 50% rise in reported crimes based on sexual orientation and reported religious hate crimes rose by 51%. Racial hate crimes accounted for about two-thirds of all those reported.

Although these statistics are extremely concerning, as Jessica Rees, hate crime lead at Victim Support Wales said, “It is worth remembering, that this spike could be due to police improvements in recognising and recording hate crime or people feeling more confident to report it - both of which would be positive."

Despite the rise in hate crime across Wales, prosecutions remain worryingly low - in 2018-19, just one in 10 cases resulted in a successful prosecution.

Christina Tanti, research and evaluation manager at Race Equality First has said “There is a stark 'justice gap' in Wales for victims of hate crime”.

This needs to be addressed.

In the bid to reduce hate crime, the abuse which is happening online must also be dealt with.

Evidence indicates that the sharing of hateful attitudes online can motivate people to commit harmful acts in the real world, such as physical assault, verbal abuse, damage to property. Hateful content can even lead to tragedies such as shootings or bombings. 

As Stop Hate UK, one of the leading national organisations working to challenge all forms of Hate Crime and discriminaton, state:

“The anonymity of the Internet bolsters people to post harmful information more frequently compared to spreading Hate in the real world. The speed and convenience at which hatred is spread online is also a factor in how easy it is for someone to be bolder online. 

“Hence, facing hate online on your phone, on your personal social accounts constantly can be an incredibly lonely and difficult experience.” 

Hate crime whether online or off is a serious offence which can have devastating and long-lasting effects on individuals and communities across Wales.

We must tackle Hate Crime issues by raising awareness of what hate crime is and how to respond to it, encouraging reporting, and promoting local support services and resources.

There are several ways you can report a hate crime, for further information visit Report a Hate Crime – Wales Hate Crime (victimsupport.org.uk)