Rise in hate crime reports
An Garda Síochána this week highlighted some cases across the country involving hate crime, some of which happened in Cork.
It comes as they published figures on Hate Crimes and Hate Related (non-crime) Incidents, reported during 2024 on Tuesday. This is the fourth such publication having previously published figures for 2021, 2022 and 2023. Incidents were recorded across all nine of the discriminatory motives.
As some incidents have more than one discriminatory motive, 732 discriminatory motives were recorded last year. This is up from 696 in 2023, 617 in 2022 and 483 in 2021.
• A total 676 hate crimes and hate related (non-crime) incidents were recorded in 2024 - up from 651 in 2023
• 4% increase in the number of hate crimes and hate related (non-crime) incidents reported to An Garda Síochána compared to 2023
• 592 hate crimes (548 in 2023)
• 84 hate related (non-crime) incidents (103 in 2023)
Anti-race has remained the most prevalent discriminatory motive (39% of all motives) and has increased from (36%) in 2023. In 2024, anti-nationality increased to a quarter of all motives compared to 18% in 2023. Despite being the third highest motive in hate incidents during 2023 and 2024, anti-sexual orientation has declined year on year (70 in 2024; 109 in 2023).
Once again during 2024, hate motives were evident in a variety of reported crime incident types. The largest percentage being recorded in public order (31%), minor assaults (22%) and criminal damage not by fire (16%) and assault causing harm (7%). In collating and assessing this data, the Garda Síochána Analysis Service has noted that ‘Murder threats to kill or cause serious harm’ has featured higher this year - 27 incidents with a hate motive (5% of all hate crime incidents).
As was the case in the previous three years, just under half of all hate related incidents occurred in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, however, there has been a year-on-year reduction. The three other operational regions recorded were Eastern (18%), Southern (17%) and North-Western (16%) which was also much lower than in the previous twelve months. Chief Superintendent, Community Engagement, Padraic Jones said: "While these figures do indicate a further increase in the number of people that come forward to An Garda Síochána and report an incident of crime which was motivated by hate, we recognise that hate related crime is still underreported in Ireland. "When a person or group is targeted because of a fundamental characteristic it is a stain on all of society. Together we must continue to reject hate and discrimination and consistently remind one another that everyone has a right to live safely and free from prejudice. Incidents of this nature are not and never will be acceptable. "I really encourage anyone that has experienced an incident of crime which has been motivated by hate to please come forward and report your experience – I assure you that we will support you in any way that we can.”
An Garda Síochána would ask those working in community based groups, schools, clubs, the voluntary sector and non-governmental groups who have not already done so to subscribe to the third party referral process. This will have the benefit of further increasing reporting of hate crime to An Garda Síochána.
Some of the cases
1. A man aged in his 30s got out of a taxi in Cork city without paying for his fare. The following day, the man hailed another taxi in the city without realising that he had hailed the same driver that he had evaded paying the previous night. When the driver asked if the man could cover last night's fare, the man racially abused the driver and threw a can at the car as it drove off. The man was later charged by gardaí and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.
2. Members of the public were forced to restrain a man aged in his 20s after he became aggressive and began shouting slurs at a member of staff outside a nightclub in Co. Cork. The man was convicted at the District Court and received the Probation Act.
3. A man in Co. Clare walking through a retail premises while verbally abusing members of the public and staff with racially charged language. The man was convicted before the District Court for this and other charges and was sentenced to five months imprisonment.
4. Gardaí attended a supermarket in Dublin following the activation of a panic alarm. A man aged in his 40s had refused to leave the premises after a security guard had informed him that he was barred from the store. The man used racially charged language and spat at the security guard. The suspect was arrested at the scene. Charges are currently pending before the Circuit Court.
5. While conducting a night-time patrol in Co. Dublin, members of An Garda Síochána observed a male harassing a member of staff at a fast food outlet. The male, aged in his 20s, reached across the counter and slapped the staff member across the face. The staff member also reported to gardaí that the man had made racist remarks. The male was convicted and fined €400.