Nobody should have to live with the fear and anxiety that hate crime can cause.
A hate crime is any crime that is targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. A hate incident is any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence but is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Hate crime isn’t just physical abuse or violence, and an incident can have a lasting effect on a person. Abuse, name calling, assault, blackmail, harassment, intimidation, bullying or exploitation are all forms of hate crime. This includes abusive comments that are made by phone, text or through social media.
A hate crime is any crime that is targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. A hate incident is any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence but is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Hate crime isn’t just physical abuse or violence, and an incident can have a lasting effect on a person. Abuse, name calling, assault, blackmail, harassment, intimidation, bullying or exploitation are all forms of hate crime. This includes abusive comments that are made by phone, text or through social media.
Hate Incidents
Hate incidents include:
- Antisemitism - discrimination, prejudice or malicious acts against individuals, communities or organisations because of their Jewish identity
- Bi-phobia - discrimination, prejudice or abusive behaviours towards bisexual people
- Disableism - discrimination, oppression or malicious acts towards individuals with a physical, learning and mental health disability
- Homophobia - umbrella terms defining discrimination, prejudice or malicious acts towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or questioning people
- Islamophobia - discrimination, prejudice or malicious acts against individuals, communities or organisations because of their Muslim identity
- Racism - the discrimination, prejudice or malicious acts towards individuals or communities because of skin colour, ethnicity, nationality, language, customs or practices and place of birth
- Transphobia - umbrella term defining discrimination, prejudice or malicious acts towards trans people and gender identities
These are some examples of actions that could be hate incidents depending on the motivation behind them:
- verbal abuse like name-calling and offensive jokes
- harassment
- bullying or intimidation by children, adults, neighbours or strangers
- physical attacks such as hitting, punching, pushing, spitting
- threats of violence
- hoax calls, abusive phone or text messages, hate mail
- online abuse, for example on Facebook or Twitter
- displaying or circulating discriminatory literature or posters
- harm or damage to things such as your home, pet, or vehicle
- graffiti
- arson
- throwing rubbish into a garden
- malicious complaints, for example over parking, smells or noise
Hate Crime
When hate incidents become criminal offences they are known as hate crimes. A criminal offence is something that breaks the law. Some examples of hate crimes include:
- assaults
- criminal damage
- harassment
- murder
- sexual assault
- theft
- fraud
- burglary
- hate mail
- harassment
- graffiti
- arson
Race and Religious Hate Crime
Racist and religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal identity: their actual or perceived racial or ethnic origin, belief or faith. These crimes can happen randomly or be part of a campaign of continued harassment and victimisation. More information on race and religious hate crime. is available from Citizen's Advice.
Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime
In the past, incidents against lesbian, gay, bisexual people or transgender people have been rarely reported and even more rarely prosecuted. Research studies suggest that victims of, or witnesses to, such incidents have very little confidence in the criminal justice system. More information on homophobic and transphobic hate crime is available from Citizen's Advice.
Disability Hate Crime
Feeling and being unsafe through violence, harassment or negative stereotyping has a significant impact on disabled people's sense of security and wellbeing. It also impacts significantly on their ability to participate both socially and economically in their communities. More information disability hate crime is available from Citizen's Advice.
You can find out more about the University's stance on Hate Crime in the Dignity at Work and Study Policy.