THE STORY WAS UPDATED
A record number of suspected hate crimes* were reported in 2023, rising by 28.99% to 1,606 cases compared with 1,245 cases the previous year, according to the Police University College. The author of the report, Jenita Ranta, blamed “societal factors” like the Russian aggression in Ukraine, and the poor economic situation of people that fuel hate crime.
Ranta talks about these above factors but is silent about an obvious factor: racism in Finland.
Moreover, if last year was a record, we expect 2024 to be another record year when it comes to hate crimes.
The hate crimes reported to the police are only the tip of the iceberg.
As in previous years, hate crimes due to ethnic or national background stood at 68% of all hate crimes, rising last year by 17.42% to 1,092 cases versus 930 cases. That was followed by hate crimes on the grounds of religion or belief (10.3% of all hate crimes), which jumped by 36.36% to 165 cases.
By national group, the Somalis were one of the most affected by hate crimes as were Muslims.
The majority of hate crimes were physical assaults and verbal insults.
Source: Police University College
“Under this group, the biggest group of victims were Muslims. In the statistics on last year’s hate crime reports, it is noteworthy that for the first time ever, there were more suspected hate crimes against Jews or Jewishness than there were suspected hate crimes against Christians. However, Islamic people were most commonly targeted,” according to the Police University College.
Hate crimes committed against sexual minorities (10.6% of all hate crimes) rose by 53.57% to 215 cases, while disability (8%) saw the biggest rise, soaring 137.04% to 128 cases.
*”In general terms, hate crime is a crime motivated by prejudice or hostility towards the victim’s ethnic or national origin. The crime may also be targeted at members of the majority population.” Police University College