A rapid rise in religious hate crimes highlights significant gaps in the laws that are supposed to protect people’s rights. According to the Home Office, such crimes have increased by 25% in England and Wales in the past year, with Jews and Muslims being the main targets. The alarming rise is linked to tensions caused by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. With laws failing to protect vulnerable groups, questions are being raised about the need to review legislation to effectively combat religious intolerance.
Religious Hate Crimes on the Rise: Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia Reach Record Levels
According to the data, the majority of the 140,561 hate crimes committed were related to racial discrimination – around 70% of all cases. However, the significant increase in crimes motivated by religious hatred was mainly due to the increase in anti-Semitic incidents. The number of crimes against the Jewish community more than doubled, while the number of attacks on Muslims increased by 13% compared to the previous year. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of crimes committed on the basis of religious hatred has reached a record high. The figures reflect a marked increase in violence and discrimination directed at religious minorities, especially against the Jewish and Muslim communities, which is causing serious concern in society and requires increased countermeasures. was the highest since such statistics began to be collected in March 2012. Civil society organisations also recorded an alarming increase in cases of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, which reached record levels up until the end of September, confirming the depth of the problem and its scope, which goes beyond official police reports.
In statistics published on Thursday, the Home Office said the 25% rise in hate crime was due to a rise in incidents targeting Jews and, to a lesser extent, Muslims. This was linked to the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas. According to data collected by 43 police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police, overall hate crimes fell by 5% despite a rise in religiously motivated incidents.
In the year ending March 2024, 3,282 hate crimes against Jews were recorded, more than double the 1,543 recorded in the previous year. The increase in these crimes coincided with the start of the Middle East conflict, and although the number of such incidents declined somewhat, by the spring they had not reached the levels recorded before the events in the region began.
The Greater London area saw the highest number of hate crimes recorded last year, according to Jewish charities. The Community Security Trust (CST) said there were 5,583 incidents recorded in the UK between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024 – a 12-month record and three times the 1,830 recorded in the previous year.
There were also 3,866 religiously motivated hate crimes against Muslims during the year, up 13% from 3,432 incidents the previous year. These incidents accounted for 38% of all religiously motivated crimes recorded. Notably, the figures do not include the unrest that followed the events in Southport this summer. Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said there were 4,971 incidents of hate and discrimination recorded in the UK between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2024 – the highest number in a decade.
Government against hate: Interior Minister announces tough measures against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed grave concern at the alarming statistics on anti-Semitic and Islamophobic crime: “The appalling levels of such crime reflected in today’s figures are a disgrace to our society. The Government will work hard to stamp out this poisonous hatred wherever it occurs.” She also stressed that the conflicts in the Middle East should not be used to increase hatred and tension on the streets of the UK: “Those who spread this poison, both in real life and online, must be held to account to the full extent of the law.”
At the same time, police data showed a decrease in hate crimes in other categories: crimes against people with disabilities fell by 18%, crimes against people with a certain sexual orientation fell by 8%, and crimes against transgender people fell by 2%.
Despite a 5% fall in racial hate crimes, there were 98,799 incidents recorded in the 12 months, making racism still the most common motive for offending. Hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation fell for the second year running to 22,839 incidents, marking an overall fall of 13% since March 2022 – the highest on record.
The Home Office attributed the decline to a reduction in malicious communications and incidents of public concern. Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall, said reported crimes were only part of the problem, stressing the importance of ensuring support was available to all victims. Danielle St James, from Not A Phase, added that while there had been a small 2% drop in trans crime, many trans people were still not reporting such incidents, so the statistics should be taken with caution.