Hate Crime

What is Hate Crime?

“Hate crime is an act of violence, hostility or intimidation directed at someone because of their identity or perceived ‘difference’. It can be related to race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, transgender identity, sex, or age (although the latter two characteristics are not officially recognised as hate crime categories consistently across the UK). It can also be related to more than one of these characteristics.” Senedd Wales

 The law identifies five basis of hate crime:

• Race
• Religion
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Transgender identity

Misogyny is a hate crime which is due to be trialled from Autumn 2021, but will not be in legislation until a Law Commission review has been concluded.

Any crime can be a hate crime if the offender has either demonstrated hostility or been motivated by hostility based on one of the aforementioned five basis of hate crime. A person can be a victim of more than one type of hate crime.

A hate incident can include verbal abuse, threats of violence, bullying, intimidation (see Anti-Social Behaviour and Disorder), harassment or online abuse (see Cyber Crime/ Online harms). A hate crime becomes a criminal offence once a crime has been committed, which can include serious violence, sexual violence, harassment, theft, criminal damage, hate mail and fraud.