Understanding Hate Crime in the UK - Trends, Impacts and Government Response

Key Takeaways:

• According to the latest UK Home Office crime statistics, data for the year ending March 2024 demonstrates a 25% increase in the number of religious hate crimes compared to the previous year.

• Spikes in hate crime can be partially attributed to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which began in October 2023.

• National Hate Crime Awareness week will take place from 11 to 18 October 2025.

• The UK government has implemented the Hate Crime Strategy 2025-2028 to reduce the impact of hate crime.

Building Safer Communities: National Hate Crime Awareness Week

National Hate Crime Awareness Week is an annual UK-wide initiative occurring between 11-18 October 2025 to increase public awareness of hate crime. By doing so, many charities will promote reporting mechanisms and ensure that victims can access support services. Hate crimes are motivated by prejudice  against the victim’s identity - they can occur based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender. The week aims to encourage local police and authorities to work collaboratively with community groups vulnerable to hate crime by educating individuals on the impact of hate crime.

UK Hate Crime Hits Record High

According to the latest hate crime statistics, the UK has experienced a significant increase in reported incidents. As of March 2025, police in England and Wales recorded 140,561 hate crimes, encompassing categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. Notably, religiously motivated hate crimes rose sharply, with 10,484 offences recorded in the year ending March 2025, a 25% increase from the 8,370 offences reported the previous year. This marks the highest annual figure since records began in 2011/12. The Home Office has attributed much of this rise to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which has placed Jewish and Muslim communities at heightened risk of being targeted. This trend highlights the urgent need for coordinated efforts across government, law enforcement, and communities to address the root causes of hate crime and ensure the safety and inclusion of all communities in the UK.

Alarming Rise in Islamophobia

The Muslim community and their places of worship in the UK are currently facing a significant rise in threats, with over 6,300 Islamophobic incidents reported in 2024, which included verbal abuse, vandalism, and physical assaults. A study from 2024 from the charity ‘Tell Mama’  in the UK has found that anti-Muslim hate had tripled in the four months following the Hamas attacks. The charity describes itself as a leading agency on monitoring Muslim hate crime and has reported that over half of the incidents were cases of hate speech on social media. Between 07 February – 07 October 2024, 600 incidents were recorded, a steep rise from the previous year. The months following the attacks had the largest number since the charity was founded in 2011. The charity also recorded incidents of abusive behaviour, threats, and acts of vandalism, with the largest proportion of incidents taking place in London.

Antisemitic Crimes Double: Jewish Communities Face Growing Threat

A significant surge in antisemitic hate crime has been recorded across the UK, with figures showing a sharp increase over the past year. Hate crimes targeting Jewish individuals have more than doubled, rising from 1,543 by March 2023 to 3,282 by March 2024. Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request indicate that many of the largest police forces in the UK witnessed steep rises in antisemitic offences in the year following the start of the Hamas-Israeli conflict in October 2023.

Greater Manchester Police recorded 446 offences in the year leading to September 2024, an increase from the figure of 152 in the previous year. West Yorkshire Police similarly recorded 215 offences, an increase from 77 in the previous year. West Midlands Police also recorded an increase from 23 to 83 and Merseyside Police recorded 78 offences, up from 45. The Community Service Trust charity collects a separate set of data published by the Jewish community that works at the organisation. In the first half of 2025, 1,521 incidents were reported, the second-highest total recorded from the surge of incidents between January and June 2024.

Notable Hate Crime Incidents

• On 04 October 2025, fire services were called to a mosque on Phyllis Avenue in Peacehaven at approximately 2150hrs (local) after a parked vehicle was set alight. Although the fire affected the mosque, the two people were inside at the time escaped without injury.

  
  

• On 31 August 2025, a 29-year-old man from Southsea, Hampshire, committed a racially and religiously aggravated attack targeting worshippers at the Portsmouth Jami Mosque. The incident involved verbal abuse, physical assault, and threatening behaviour with a weapon, and was classified as a hate crime due to the clear targeting of individuals based on their religious and ethnic identity. The man approached a group of men, women, and children who were praying outside the mosque, shouting "This is England" and other racially abusive remarks. He physically assaulted a man who attempted to intervene, kicked a prayer mat in an act of religious disrespect, and later returned to the scene armed with a knife.

  
  

• Avon and Somerset Police are investigating a racially aggravated assault that occurred on Sarah Street, Bristol on 30 September 2025. The incident followed a single-vehicle collision in which two male victims were involved. After their vehicle struck a lamppost, the victims were subjected to racial abuse and physical assault by a group of four white men, who subsequently fled the scene in a white van. A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially or religiously aggravated grievous bodily harm and remains in police custody.

Government Response

The UK government have implemented a plan, known as the Hate Crime Strategy 2025-2028, to minimise the impact of hate crime across the UK. The strategy aims to support victims after the crime has occurred by improving support networks and making services universally available. From a data collection perspective, the plan aims to enhance the reporting and recording of incidents. The plan takes a multi-agency approach to ensure that local communities, charities, and the government can work towards reducing hate crime, but also enhance the support available to victims.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have adopted the Hate Crime Strategy and implemented it into their everyday policing and public services. They aim to educate staff and frontline professionals on hate crime incidents and how to respond appropriately. Frontline staff are encouraged to refer cases to the Community Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (CMARAC) to generate a plan to protect victims. They borough have pledged to support the Metropolitan Police to take action through the criminal justice system.

However, the charity ‘Tell Mama’, is facing imminent closure after the government cut all funding for the organisation. Since 2012, ‘Tell Mama’ – which serves as a reporting service for Islamophobia in the UK – has relied entirely on financial support from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to operate its service.  The discontinuation of government funding is set to take effect at the end of the current financial year, leaving the charity without any form of funding – which will have a negative impact on users of this service.

How Does Hate Crime Impact Businesses?

Hate crimes are a persistent and ongoing threat to many vulnerable communities in the UK. The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza has resulted in a heightened threat landscape for individuals within Jewish and Muslim communities. The consequences of persistent hate crime in the UK carry serious business implications, including heightened security costs and reduced consumer confidence in affected areas. Businesses operating in diverse communities may face reputational risks if they fail to address discrimination. Additionally, increased societal division can negatively impact collaboration, innovation, and overall economic productivity. Businesses are encouraged to take a proactive stance by implementing inclusive policies and supporting affected employees.