"Everyone has a right to live safely."
A little under 500 hate crimes were recorded in Ireland throughout the year 2021, according to new statistics released by An Garda Síochána.
In total, 448 hate crimes and hate-related incidents – the latter classified as "non-crime" – were recorded in 2021; breaking down to 389 hate crimes and 59 hate-related incidents.
Per official policy, An Garda Síochána recorded and investigate reports of hate crimes or hate incidents "as appropriate", where it is perceived that the perpetrator's hostility or prejudice against any person, community or institution is on the grounds of the victim's age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender.
A total of 483 "discriminatory motives" were recorded – some incidents have more than one such motive, notes a Garda spokesperson. The most prevalent discriminatory motive was race (44%), followed by sexual orientation (15%) and nationality (15%).
Hate motives were evident in a range of crimes across 2021; the largest percentage being public order (35%), minor assaults (18%) and criminal damage (11%).
In terms of location, Dublin's metropolitan region saw the vast majority of recorded hate-related incidents at 50%. The southern region recorded 19%, the north-western region recorded 18% and the eastern region recorded 15%, respectively.
"Everyone has a right to live safely," said Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman. "Hate crimes have a huge impact on victims, because they are targeted because of who they are, and they also have a significant impact on the wider community.
"I want to thank that wider community, NGOs and the media for consistently highlighting the issue of hate crime, and I urge any person who has experienced or observed prejudice to come forward and report those incidents to us. I can assure people that complaints will be dealt with thoroughly and professionally."
A detailed statistical breakdown on recorded hate crimes in Ireland is available at
this link.
