http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/hate-crime/
Hate crime
A hate crime is any criminal offence that is motivated by hostility or prejudice based upon the victim’s:
- disability
- race
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
- transgender
All hate crime is important. No hate crime is too minor to report to the police. Anyone can be the victim of a hate crime. We all have a racial identity, all have a sexual orientation, all have some sort of beliefs. Anyone of us could be targeted because of some aspect of our identity. Tackling hate crime supports each and every one of us.
Why do we need to act on hate crime?
Hate crime is different to other forms of crime:
- hate crime targets people because of their identity. It is a form of discrimination that infringes human rights and keeps people from enjoying the full benefits of our society
- research has shown that hate crimes cause greater psychological harm than similar crimes without a motivation of prejudice
- hate crime creates fear in victims, groups and communities and encourages communities to turn on each other
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
- transgender
All hate crime is important. No hate crime is too minor to report to the police. Anyone can be the victim of a hate crime. We all have a racial identity, all have a sexual orientation, all have some sort of beliefs. Anyone of us could be targeted because of some aspect of our identity. Tackling hate crime supports each and every one of us.