What is Hate Crime

"Hate Crime scars its victims beyond the legacy of any physical injury. If it is not professionally and successfully countered by the agencies of social control, its pervasive effect is to create alarm and fear as it chips away the mortar of social cohesion" (Peter Fahy, Hate Crime: Delivery of a quality service. March 2005.)

"Hate Crimes where people are targeted because of the nature of their diversity affects not only the primary victim but also the wider family and sometimes communities. It is a serious crime often committed against victims who are particularly vulnerable due to their individual circumstances." (Paul Evans, Hate Crime: Delivery of a quality service March 2005)

Hate Crime

This is a crime where the perpetrator's prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised. In addition to those subjected to racist, homophobic, transphobic victimisation, other groups which might be subjected to Hate crime include religion/faith groups, asylum seekers, refugees, travellers, romany people, migrant workers, people with disabilities, vulnerable adults and also in relation to age and gender.

A victim of a Hate crime / occurrence does not necessarily have to be a member of a minority or someone who is generally considered vulnerable. In some cases the perpetrator's perception may be wrong. For example:-

Two male friends walk down the street together, one is gay and one is not. The perpetrator assaults the male who is not gay, wrongly thinking that he is gay. This can result in a person entirely unconnected with the hate motivation becoming a victim. In the same situation however, the perpetrator may know this man is not gay but attack him for associating with a gay man. This would still be a Hate crime.

Furthermore, it could be the case that a member of a majority group is the victim of a Hate crime / occurrence perpetrated by a minority group member. For example, a minority group member assaults a white person because of his / her skin colour. Consequently, in reality anyone can become a victim of a Hate crime / occurrence.