A report said that hate crime in the EU was increasing, despite the 'best efforts' of member states to root it out. Verbal abuse, physical attacks, and murders motivated by prejudice affected a wide range of groups, including visible minorities to those with disabilities. A linked report examined victims' experiences.
Source: Making Hate Crime Visible in the European Union: Acknowledging victims rights, European Agency for Fundamental Rights | Minorities as Victims of Crime, European Agency for Fundamental Rights
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | FRA press release
Date: 2012-Nov
An article said that despite the conviction of two men for the racist murder (in 1993) of Stephen Lawrence, racial violence was still at very high levels and was becoming dispersed to new areas. The Macpherson Report might have brought in changes to police practices: but violent, popular racism, encouraged by wider government policies, such as the war on terror, was still a 'national scandal'.
Source: Jon Burnett, 'After Lawrence: racial violence and policing in the UK', Race and Class, Volume 54 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined hate crimes and hate incidents in the higher education sector. Asian or Asian British respondents were the group most worried about being subject to abuse because of racial prejudice, with 48 per cent saying that they were very or fairly worried.
Source: Robert Holland and Sarah Wayman, No Place for Hate: Hate crimes and incidents in further and higher education – Race and ethnicity, National Union of Students
Links: Report
Date: 2012-May
A new textbook examined the key topics in race and crime, including: representation and disproportionality, victimisation, human rights, terrorism, popular culture, and governance.
Source: Michael Rowe, Race & Crime, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
The coalition government published an action plan for tackling hate crime. It identified three key objectives: preventing hate crime – by challenging the attitudes that underpinned it, and intervening early to prevent it escalating; increasing reporting and access to support – by building victim confidence and supporting local partnerships; and improving the operational response to hate crimes – by better identifying and managing cases, and dealing effectively with offenders.
Source: Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: The government s plan to tackle hate crime, Home Office
Links: Action plan | Hansard | Home Office press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A report said that racist violence continued to be a serious problem, particularly among young people in London. A 'zero tolerance' approach to racism, such as teachers excluding pupils for such behaviour from school, had failed and could drive the problem underground. Instead, a more pro-active response was needed that drew out the problem and confronted it with the aim of prevention.
Source: Robin Oakley, Sarah Isal, and Aine Woods, Are You Saying I m Racist? An evaluation of work to tackle racist violence in three areas of London, Runnymede Trust/Trust for London
Date: 2012-Jan