The number of suspected hate crimes continued to increase in Finland in 2024, according to an annual report released by the Police University College on Monday.
The report entitled “Poliisin tietoon tullut viharikollisuus Suomessa 2024 (Hate crime reported to the police in 2024)” showed that the police filed a total of 1,808 reports of offenses on suspected hate crimes, which was the highest figure ever in the history of hate crime investigation.
Defamation and assault were the most common suspected hate crimes.
The report used crime report information, which is used to analyze the suspicion of hate motive recorded in the report.
The Finnish Criminal Code does not include the criminal categories of hate crime or hate speech, but hate motive is a basis for increasing the punishment.
Therefore, any act that is defined by legislation as a crime can be a hate crime.
The Police University College report defines suspected hate crimes as reports where a hate motive is manifest.
In 2024, the number of suspected hate crimes increased in all motive groups in the report, except for crimes related to religion or belief. The most common motive was the victim's ethnic or national background.
Besides ethnic or national background, significant numbers of crime reports related to other hate motives were filed.
“There were again a third more suspected hate crimes directed towards disability than in the previous year. Reports related to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are also increasing,” said Jenita Rauta, researcher of the Police University College.
Rauta said that the hate crime is therefore a diverse phenomenon that affects several different population groups.
“The trend is concerning. In my opinion, the increase in hate crimes against people with disabilities reflects, for example, a broader societal polarization in which those in vulnerable positions are targeted. In suspected hate crimes, the perpetrator is often known to the victim, which emphasizes the need to strengthen security not only in the home and immediate environment, but also in schools, workplaces, and other everyday communities,” Rauta added.
The researcher, however, said that hate crimes are also being identified better than earlier and reported more actively to the authorities, which increases the visibility of the phenomenon.
The Police University College’s report on hate crimes examines the trend and manifestations of hate crime in Finland each year. The number of suspected hate crimes to its current extent is being monitored since 2008.
- Hate crimes
- Record highest
- Finland
- 2024
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
