Islamophobia victims, young and old

The Manchester Evening News reports on new figures released on hate crime under the Freedom of Information Act revealing that a 104 year old is thought to be the oldest victim in the UK after being racially abused in north Manchester.

The data also revealed a 99 year old and a 98 year old from Stockton were targets of disability hate crimes, while a 95 year old was a victim of a homophobic hate crime in north Manchester.

The figures show that children as young as four years old were victims of race hate crimes in north Manchester, while a five year old suffered a religious hate crime in south Manchester. Two five year olds were victims of racial and disability hate crime in Bolton.

Responding to the reported hate crime cases, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Jim Battle, said: “Hate crime is abhorrent and is a crime against people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. While those who perpetrate hate crime discriminate against people, sadly their peddling of hatred and intolerance makes no distinction of age as these shocking figures reveal, with young children to elderly people becoming victims of hate crime. In Greater Manchester we are committed to ending hate crime. The increase in reporting reflects the changing landscape and increased public awareness and confidence which is enabling police to act against offenders.”

Only last month, it was revealed that the number of race and religious hate crimes in Greater Manchester increased by almost a third last year. Home Office figures revealed that 3,400 racial and religious offences took place to the year ending September 2015, an increase of 32% compared to the previous 12 months (2,577 offences). Of these, 672 offences involved assault. Further figures show anti-Muslim hate crime almost doubled in Greater Manchester last year.

New figures published by the Birmingham Mail have revealed that the youngest victim of hate crime in the West Midlands region was a five year old who was subjected to a religious hate crime, while a six year old was found to be a victim of an Islamophobic hate crime. The data, also obtained through an FOI request, revealed that the oldest victims of hate crime in the region were two 81 year olds who suffered race hate crimes in Birmingham West and Central and Sandwell.

The West Midlands is another region of the UK which has seen a growth in police recorded hate crime with religious hate crime almost doubling last year from 87 cases in 2013-2014 to 163 cases in 2014-2015.

Nationally, there has been a dramatic increase in race and religious hate crime in recent years. Official figures published last October by the Home Office revealed a sharp increase in religious hate crimes in the UK between 2012/13 – 2013/14 and 2013/14 – 2014/15 showing a 45% and 43% increase year on year, respectively, with race hate crime having increased by 15% in the same time period. Last September, the Metropolitan Police Service also revealed a 70% increase in Islamophobic and anti-Muslim hate crime in London between July 2014 and July 2015.