Hamilton sees 61% rise in hate-motivated crimes in 2022: police

Hamilton police say there was a 61 per cent increase in the number of hate incidents and criminal offences in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The force released today its annual hate crime statistics, saying the majority of reported incidents were directly related to racial bias, followed by religion and sexual orientation.

The report suggested people within the Black, Jewish and LGBTQ communities were most frequently victimized.

According to police statistics, there were 174 hate or bias reported incidents.

“Hate crime affects our entire community,” said Chief Frank Bergen. “These crimes impact a sense of belonging, safety and wellbeing for victims and creates fear within our community.”

READ MORE: 50-year-old man assaulted in hate-motivated incident in Westdale

While there was a rise in the number of hate-motivated crimes, police believe there were many more as most cases go unreported.

“As a collective community, we must do more to stand against hate in any form,” said Gustavo Rymberg, CEO of Hamilton Jewish Federation.

Police are urging people to report hate incidents because it is a significant step to stop the cycle of discrimination and prevent others from being victimized.

“While this rise in occurrences and crimes is concerning, it is encouraging that these incidents are being reported and captured,” said Comfort Afari, chair person at Hamilton Black Health Community Leaders Forum.

READ MORE: 24-year-old Hamilton man charged with hate-motivated assault