Ground breaking storylines such as the attack on Coronation Street on Seb and Nina, owing to the way they look, are helpful in highlighting how people can suffer at the hands of others who simply do not like how they present, but if you encountered someone who has been attacked would you recognise a hate crime and would you know to report it?
A hate crime is where you have been involved in a crime motivated by hostility and prejudice and based on one of the following;
-Disability
-Race
-Religion
-Transgender identity
-Sexual orientation
To recognise a hate crime you need to first be able to identify if the incident was criminal and if it was it motivated by hate? In other words, would the perpetrator have committed the incident against someone who did not have one of the protected characteristics listed above? If the answer to this two stage test is yes then you may have been victim to a hate crime.
You can report a hate crime in the same way that you report any crime but it’s also helpful if other organisations whose work is aimed at preventing hate crime can also be notified so that relevant statistical data can be gathered. These include Stop Hate UK, Crime Stoppers, and True Vision.
Quite often hate crimes can be linked to other activities in life such as employment or indeed you might need to claim compensation after a hate crime and SHU law might therefore be able to help you. If you therefore think that you have been a victim and need help then please contact our office on 0114 2256666.