What Is A Hate Crime?
Hate crime is defined as a criminal offence committed against a person or their property that is motivated by hatred of someone because of their:
- Race, colour, ethnicity or nationality
- Religion or beliefs
- Gender or sexuality identity
- Sexual orientation
- Disability (including disability due to ill mental health)
- Age
Hate crime can take many forms for example if someone assalted you and used homophobic language, or written racist graffiti on your property / where you live. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted; it's still a hate crime if someone makes a mistake about your identity (if you are assaulted because someone thinks your are Jewish, but you aren't. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.
What Can I Do If I'm A Victim Of A Hate Crime?
- Get help immediately
- In an emergency, dial 999 or 112, or contact campus security on 01782 733 004
- Make as much noise as you can to alert others
- As soon as you can, go somewhere you know is safe
- If you have been attacked and want to report to the police, don't shower or change your clothes as this may destroy evidence
- If you are comfortable, tell the police why you think you were attacked
- If you have had your keys taken, ensure you change the locks
- If you are not confident telling the police, there are other reporting systems available. See Keele University's Stop Hate UK reporting page.
What Can I Do If I Witness A Hate Crime?
- Call 999 or 112
- Let the police know what you've seen. Don't assume others will come forward. Many crucial witnesses walk away assuming others will report it.
- Stay safe and alert.
- Don't physically intervene - you could get hurt yourself.
- If it is safe to do so, take a photograph or video on your mobile phone.
- Record details of times, number plates, and descriptions. If you don't have a pen with you, leave a voice message on your mobile phone or write a draft text message. As soon as you have a pen and paper, write everything you saw and heard with as much detail as possible.
Hate Incident Vs Hate Crime
Something is a hate incident if the victim or anyone else thinks it was motivated by hostility or prejudice based on one of the following things:
- disability
- race
- religion
- transgender identity
- sexual orientation.
Anyone can be the victim of a hate incident. For example, you may have been targeted because someone thought you were gay, or because you have a disabled child.
If you’ve experienced something that wasn’t a crime, but you think it was motivated by prejudice against you, it’s a hate incident.
If you experience more than one hate incident by the same person or group of people, it might count as harassment. Harassment can be a crime. For example, it might be harassment if someone on your street keeps shouting abuse at you.