Thursday 4th April 2019
Hate crime not only harms its victims, it also harms their families and communities.
The government is committed to tackling hate crime. We want to raise awareness of what a hate crime is and help people understand that it is not right to target individuals based on their identity.
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’s:
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.
Report a hate crime
You can report a hate crime online or call 101 to speak to the police.
Call 999 if you’re reporting a crime that’s in progress or if someone is in immediate danger.