Hate crimes and hate-related incidents in Ireland increased by 12%

The number of hate crimes and hate-related incidents reported to Ireland’s An Garda Síochána rose by 12% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to official figures released today, May 8.

Garda said 548 hate crimes and 103 hate-related incidents were reported last year. Hate crimes are criminal incidents motivated by prejudice based on the victim’s perceived race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, and other characteristics.

Hate-related incidents occur when a person experiences a non-criminal incident of hostility or prejudice. They are recorded to provide evidence of the prevalence of problems within local communities.

Garda has already published figures for 2021 and 2022. There were 696 discriminatory motives reported in 2023, compared to 617 in 2022 and 483 in 2021.

In 2022, hate crimes based on sexual orientation were the second highest percentage of reported discriminatory crimes after race. This year, most of the reported incidents were related to the ethnicity of the victims, with race being the most common discriminatory motive (36%), followed by nationality (18%) and sexual orientation (16%). The highest proportion of hate-related incidents occurred in the Dublin metropolitan area (44%).

Chief Superintendent of Community Engagement Padraic Jones admitted that while the data was concerning, he was glad victims felt comfortable coming forward and talking about these experiences.

Jones said: “Being targeted because of a characteristic has a huge and often life-changing impact on a victim, and as a society we must continue to reject hate and discrimination. “Everyone has the right to live safely.

He added: “I strongly encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed prejudice to come forward and report these incidents to us. “I can assure you that we will deal with this professionally and support you in any way we can.”

Despite the rise in violence against LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized people, Ireland remains one of the few European countries without a hate crime law.

Adam Long, executive director of the National LGBT Federation, confirmed this, saying: “Today’s figures, showing a further increase in recorded hate crimes, underline the clear need to pass the Hate Crimes Bill without further delay.”

“This is the clear message from the Coalition Against Hate Crimes, which represents the very communities affected by hate and whose voices need to be heard above the noise and manufactured ‘culture wars’. Behind the statistics are very real people who have been attacked and targeted simply because of their identity and made to feel unsafe. By passing this law we are sending the message that Irish society will not tolerate such hatred against LGBTQ+ people or other minority communities.”

An Garda Síochána is working to strengthen its network of diversity officers to better support victims affected by hate discrimination. Working with the University of Limerick, Garda personnel have completed a certificate program in human rights and policing in Ireland.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties recently produced a report to better understand racial discrimination in Ireland and found that many participants from ethnic minority communities described feeling unsupported, unprotected and unrepresented by gardaí.

If you are in a position to report a hate crime, it is helpful to know what to expect and what your rights are. Garda wants the public to know that corroborating evidence is not required to report an incident and everyone is urged to report hate-related crimes and incidents.

GCN recently spoke with Dee, who walked us through the process of reporting a hate crime based on her personal experience as a transgender person who was the victim of an incident. An online hate crime reporting tool is also available for anyone who needs to report an incident to the Gardaí without having to enter the station.

If you choose to report a hate crime to a Garda station, you can request a specially trained diversity officer to assist you with the process and you can bring a friend along for support.

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