Hate crime not only harms its victims, it also harms their families and communities.
A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or anybody else, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone.
- race
- religion
- sexual orientation
- transgender identity
- disability
These aspects are known as ‘protected characteristics’.
A hate crime can include verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, harassment, assault and damage to property.
A hate incident is behaviour which isn’t a crime but which is perceived by the victim, or anybody else, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on the 5 protected characteristics.
Online hate crime
The digital world has changed the nature and scope of hate crime. It is part of our everyday lives and we now all live in a digital world where the offline and online space come together.
Read more about Internet hate crime