A toxic change - Hate crimes increase

The Life Cycle of a Hate Crime report which was published yesterday must set alarm bells ringing. It records a

“dramatic” increase in hate crime over recent years.

The escalation came after gardaí changed how these events are classified and recorded. Despite finding, in 2016, the highest levels of hate crime recorded in a decade researchers, as well as civilian statisticians working for An Garda Síochána and civil society, believe the figures still “under-represent” the real level of hate crime in the country.

This situation is exacerbated by our inability to tackle hate crime effectively in our courts. The report suggests focussed legislation warning that without it the investigation and prosecution of such offences can hardly be successful.

It also proposes the inclusion of cyber hate offences and a range of measures to confront one of the toxins that if unchallenged can do so much to provoke the kind of return to the old hatreds resurfacing all across Europe.

There is nothing radical or surprising in this report other than that we still await the relevant legislation.