Religious hate crime at record high, figures show

Religious hatred transgression recorded by constabulary successful England and Wales has risen by 25% implicit the past year, driven by a emergence successful offences against Jews and Muslims since the opening of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Home Office figures show.

The immense bulk of the 140,561 hatred transgression offences recorded - astir 7 successful 10 - are shown to person been motivated by race, according to the data.

But the summation successful spiritual hatred crimes is chiefly driven by a emergence successful antisemitic offences, the section said.

Hate crimes targeted astatine Jewish radical much than doubled, portion incidents against Muslims were up 13% connected the erstwhile 12 months, according to data.

The Home Office said this is the highest yearly number successful spiritual hatred transgression offences since the section began collecting information successful the twelvemonth ending March 2012.

More caller figures, recorded by assemblage organisations alternatively than police, person shown grounds highs successful antisemitism and Islamophobia up to the extremity of September.

Publishing the statistic connected Thursday, the Home Office said the 25% summation "was driven by a emergence successful hatred crimes against Jewish radical and to a lesser grade Muslims and has occurred since the opening of the Israel-Hamas conflict".

The hatred crimes figures, supplied to the Home Office by the 43 territorial constabulary forces crossed England and Wales and British Transport Police, showed a 5% diminution successful the wide fig of hatred crimes.

But implicit the twelvemonth ending March 2024 determination were 3,282 spiritual hatred crimes targeting Jews, much than treble the erstwhile twelvemonth (1,543).

The spike successful specified incidents coincided with the commencement of the struggle successful the Middle East, and though the fig decreased, by the outpouring it had not returned to levels identified earlier the conflict.

The information corresponds to what has been reported by Jewish charities implicit the past year, with the highest fig of offences reported successful Greater London.

Jewish foundation the Community Security Trust (CST) said the 5,583 incidents recorded crossed the UK betwixt 7 October 2023 and 30 September is the highest full of immoderate 12-month play and was 3 times that of the erstwhile 12-month period, which saw 1,830 incidents recorded.

The figures besides amusement determination were 3,866 spiritual hatred crimes targeting Muslims, up 13% from 3,432 recorded the erstwhile year.

It means 38% of recorded spiritual hatred crimes were targeted against Muslims, and the figures bash not yet see the unrest pursuing events successful Southport successful the summer.

Tell Mama - which records anti-Muslim incidents - said it had recorded 4,971 incidents of hatred and favoritism crossed the UK successful the twelvemonth since the 7 October 2023 attacks, the highest full it had noted successful much than a decade.

"The appalling levels of antisemitic and Islamophobic hatred crimes outlined successful today’s figures are a stain connected our society, and this authorities volition enactment tirelessly to tackle this toxic hatred wherever it is found," said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

"We indispensable not let events unfolding successful the Middle East to play retired successful accrued hatred and hostility present connected our streets and those who propulsion this poison - offline oregon online - indispensable look the afloat unit of the law," she said.

The constabulary numbers bash amusement that determination were decreases successful recorded disablement hatred crimes (down 18%) and those targeting radical for their intersexual predisposition (down 8%), and a 2% autumn successful transgender hatred crimes.

But they besides amusement that portion determination was a 5% autumn successful contention hatred crimes, 98,799 were inactive recorded implicit 12 months, and it remains by acold the astir communal information successful specified offenses.

Hate crimes motivated by intersexual predisposition person fallen for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment to 22,839 reported incidents.

It means that these types of hatred transgression person fallen a full of 13% since March 2022 - which was the highest fig connected record.

The Home Office says these decreases person been driven by falls successful malicious communications offences, arsenic good arsenic reports of incidents causing nationalist fear, alarm oregon distress.

Simon Blake, CEO of LGBT campaigning foundation Stonewall, told BBC News that hatred transgression reported to constabulary "is lone portion of the picture".

He said: "It’s captious that each those affected person entree to support. The combat against hatred is shared, truthful we indispensable enactment unneurotic to physique a nine wherever everyone is harmless and respected and escaped from harm."

Danielle St James, main enforcement of trans foundation Not A Phase, told the BBC that trans radical are often reluctant to study hatred crimes.

She said: "After galore years successful which hatred crimes against trans radical person soared, the quality that these are down by 2% is surely welcome.

"That being said, we cognize each excessively good that determination is simply a reluctance to study these crimes connected the portion of the community, truthful it’s ever worthy taking stats specified arsenic these with a pinch of salt."