Fueled by racial and ethnic bias, US hate crimes hit record high in 2021, FBI data shows

New Delhi: The number of hate crimes in the United States has continued to rise sharply and have now reached their highest level since records began, as per the data from 2021 analysed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The data, which was released on Monday, shows 9,065 hate crimes were recorded in 2021, compared to 8,120 in 2020, marking a rise of 12 per cent. A jump of nearly 12 per cent reverses previous, incomplete FBI information that appeared to show a drop but lacked data from some of the nation’s largest cities, including New York and Los Angeles. “We are in a unique and disturbing era where hate crimes overall stay elevated for longer, punctuated by broken records,” Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino, told Associated Press. According to the FBI data, most of the victims – 64.5 per cent – were targeted due to their race, ethnicity or ancestry. Another 16 per cent were targeted over their sexual orientation, and 14 per cent of cases involved religious bias. Intimidation and assault made up the largest portion of cases, and 18 murders were also reported to be hate crimes. Half of the religion cases targeted Jewish people, a finding that comes amid rising antisemitism, said Jill Garvey, chief of staff at the Western States Center. The report also underscores the need for better record-keeping. “We’re still not getting enough data to know what the extent of the problem is,” Garvey said. Data shortfall The data shortfall in the previous report released in December was largely due to changes in how police must report their data to the FBI. To ensure a more complete picture, agency officials went back and allowed large departments to report under the previous system. “Hate crimes and the devastation they cause communities have no place in this country,” associate US attorney general Vanita Gupta said. “The justice department is committed to every tool and resource at our disposal to combat bias-motivated violence in all its forms,” Gupta added. Monday’s report came four days after Axel Cox – a 24-year-old white man from Mississippi – received a prison sentence of three and a half years for burning a cross in his front yard in December 2020 in hopes of intimidating a neighboring Black family to move away. Cox had also hurled racist insults at the family, federal prosecutors said in a statement. Burning crosses are a symbol that has historically been favored by violent white supremacists, and Cox’s sentencing came after he pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime as well as a violation of the Fair Housing Act. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.