Hate in Hamilton is on the rise, according to figures pulled from the city’s latest police report.
On Friday, the force said it recorded 220 instances of hate and bias in 2023 — an uptick of 26 per cent when compared to the year prior.
READ MORE: Hamilton sees 61% rise in hate-motivated crimes in 2022: police
Leading those calls were incidents of racially driven biases, for a total of 96 reports throughout the region.
Cases of discrimination against a person’s sexual orientation came next, with religious-related intolerance trailing shortly behind.
“Last year, the Black community, the 2SLGBTQIA community and the Jewish community were the groups most frequently victimized,” reads part of the release. “While there was a rise in the number of hate/bias occurrences, the true number is likely much larger since many incidents go unreported.”
The officers in charge of the paper say they saw a notable increase in crimes related to the theft and destruction of pride flags during international events like the “One Million March for Children” campaign.
Police say they also saw another increase in hate-related activity in October after the Israel-Hamas war had begun.
“The impact of hate/bias occurrences is felt throughout the entire community,” said Chief Frank Bergen. “These occurrences undermine victims’ feelings of belonging, safety, and well-being, and instill fear across the community.”
Another pitiful finding highlighted by the report was that every instance of religiously-motivated hate that was logged by police in 2023 was targeted either Muslims or Jews.
Of the 59 recorded cases of religious bigotry, 77 per cent of them were graffiti related.
READ MORE: Oakville man charged after hateful slurs, images found on buildings
According to police, a hate crime is any criminal offence that has substantial evidence to prove the act was motivated by a discriminating prejudice.
Incidents, on the other hand, lack the necessary proof to demonstrate that they were motivated by prejudice but include hateful overtones.
READ MORE: Police investigating after rainbow crosswalk defaced in NOTL