Countering Hate

by International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination (ICAAD)

Project Report | Oct 11, 2024
America's Rising Hate Crimes

By Jyoti Diwan | Director, Data Analytics & Insights

As we observe Hate Crimes Awareness Month this October, the urgency to address the alarming surge in hate crimes across the U.S. has never been more critical. The FBI’s latest report, released in September 2024, revealed a record 11,862 hate crime incidents in 2023, marking the highest number since the agency began collecting this data in 1991. These numbers are not only staggering but also likely underrepresent the true scale of the problem.

The FBI’s data shows that Blacks, Jews, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ persons are the most frequent targets of hate crimes.

Black people continue to be disproportionately affected, with over 3,000 incidents reported based on race. Racial bias and systemic discrimination remain entrenched, highlighting the vulnerability of Black communities in the U.S.

Antisemitic hate crimes surged by 63% in 2023, with 1,832 incidents reported—making it the highest on record. Though Jews make up only 2% of the U.S. population, they accounted for a disproportionate 68% of all religion-based hate crimes. This surge reflects broader global trends in rising antisemitism, particularly in the wake of geopolitical events such as the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Muslims also experienced a sharp increase in hate crimes, with 236 reported incidents in 2023, up from 158 in 2022. The rise is part of a troubling pattern of Islamophobia, often exacerbated by global conflicts and domestic political rhetoric.

Hate crimes against LGBTQ+ communities saw a 7% increase, largely driven by bias against gender identity and sexual orientation. The targeting of transgender individuals has been particularly alarming, with hate crimes becoming more frequent and violent.

While these figures are already deeply concerning, they likely capture only a fraction of the actual hate crimes occurring across the country. The Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey estimates that up to 246,900 hate crime victimizations occur annually in the U.S., far exceeding the number reported to law enforcement. This discrepancy highlights the severe underreporting that continues to plague hate crime statistics.

The delayed release of the 2023 data—nine months after the year ended—is another indication that the current system is struggling to keep up with the rising tide of hate. Political rhetoric, particularly from figures like Donald Trump, has further fueled division and emboldened hate groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has long warned of the “Trump Effect,” in which divisive language from political leaders normalizes hate speech and leads to spikes in hate crimes, particularly during election cycles.

Despite the increase in law enforcement agencies reporting data, a significant number of them reported zero hate crimes for 2023. Of the 16,009 agencies that submitted data, over 80% reported no hate crimes. This figure includes about 60 cities with populations over 100,000, raising serious questions about the credibility of these reports.

In cities like Orlando, Newark, and El Paso, where hate crimes are expected to be more prevalent, the failure to report incidents paints a misleading picture of safety. One of the most glaring examples is Harris County, Texas, which reported zero hate crimes to the FBI in 2023. However, a survey conducted by Rice University's Kinder Institute revealed that nearly half of Harris County residents had experienced a crime or incident motivated by bias. Many chose not to report these incidents due to concerns that law enforcement would not take meaningful action, further illustrating the disconnect between community experiences and official statistics.

In response to these alarming trends, ICAAD’s Countering Hate Program is working to advance solutions that address the root causes of hate crime and improve data collection systems. Accurate and credible reporting is crucial for understanding the full scope of the problem.

As we mark Hate Crimes Awareness Month, the data makes it clear: hate in America is on the rise, and the systems in place to track and combat it are falling short. ICAAD is committed to addressing these gaps, pushing for policy reforms, and supporting victims of hate crimes.

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Jul 5, 2024
The State of Hate Crimes in the US

By Jyoti Diwan | Director, Data Analytics & Insights, ICAAD

In 2022, the FBI reported a record-high number of hate crime incidents in the United States, with 11,634 incidents recorded, marking a 7.3% increase from the previous year. Among these incidents, 4,895 were classified as violent offenses, making it the most violent year on record for hate crimes.

Anti-Black and Anti-Hispanic Incidents accounted for 52%, the highest number of single-bias hate crimes based on race, ethnicity, or ancestry, and the highest total recorded by the FBI. Anti-Hispanic or Latino incidents marked an increase of 5.7% from 2021 and a 42.7% increase from 2020.
Despite a 33.1% decrease from 2021, 2022 marked the second-highest number of Anti-Asian incidents on record. This comes after a shocking surge in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Hate crimes based on sexual orientation reached an all-time high, with significant increases in incidents targeting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming individuals.
Hate crime incidents based on religion increased by 28.4% from the previous year, with Anti-Jewish incidents representing the largest number and reaching the highest level recorded since 1993.
The number of Anti-Muslim hate crime incidents slightly increased in 2022, with 158 reported incidents. While below the peak reached in 2016 during the presidential election cycle, the levels still indicate ongoing concerns about anti-Muslim sentiment.
There were 92 reported incidents classified as Anti-Arab, down from 105 in 2021. However, it is crucial to note that for nearly two decades, anti-Arab violence was omitted from hate crime data, rendering Arab and Muslim communities invisible in official statistics. The FBI's removal of the anti-Arab category from its data collection program in 1992, and its subsequent reintroduction in 2015, underscored a significant gap in understanding and addressing hate crimes against these communities. This omission, coupled with underreporting due to distrust of law enforcement, has perpetuated a cycle of violence and discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans.

Despite these alarming figures, the data may not fully reflect the true extent of hate crimes due to inadequate reporting by law enforcement agencies.

Out of 18,888 law enforcement agencies, only 77.6% reported hate crime data to the FBI in 2022, covering 91.7% of the population. However, participation rates varied significantly, with some states, such as Arizona and California having only 16-17% agency participation rates and over 57 agencies covering over 100K population reporting zero hate crimes. Inaccuracies in hate crime statistics also continue to be impacted by victims not reporting hate crimes because of distrust or fear of law enforcement. According to estimates from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 56% of hate crime victimizations were not reported to police between 2010 to 2019.

The lack of comprehensive data collection is hindering efforts to comprehend and address the underlying causes of hate crimes. This leaves minority communities vulnerable to discrimination and violence. To address the challenges, ICAAD has planned to launch its Countering Hate Dashboard encompassing almost two decades of FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics data to identify trends and patterns in hate crimes in the United States. It will also highlight the inadequacies in data collection and analysis.

Through this initiative, ICAAD aims to increase access to information about the prevalence of hate crimes and advocate for stronger protections for minority communities in the US. Please support this project!

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Mar 16, 2024
Data-Driven Solutions to Counter Hate

By Jaspreet Singh | Co-Founder

We are excited to share with you the latest developments in our project dedicated to Countering Hate, a cornerstone of our commitment to uphold human rights and justice in the digital age. As part of our ongoing efforts to address and mitigate the spread of hate speech and its consequences, ICAAD is taking significant strides forward with two pioneering initiatives set to launch in 2024.

First, we are in the process of launching an innovative dashboard that will integrate FBI hate crime statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics data, as well as other sources, providing an invaluable tool for researchers, policymakers, and activists alike. This dashboard is designed to not only present the data in an accessible and insightful manner but also to highlight the disparities in hate crime reporting across different jurisdictions, as many states still do not track or report hate crimes, and the FBI relies on voluntary reporting.

By shedding light on these gaps, we aim to foster a more transparent and responsive criminal justice system that better addresses the needs of marginalized communities affected by hate crimes. This effort underscores our belief in the power of data-driven advocacy to effect tangible, systemic change.

Parallel to this, in our quest to leverage technology for social good, we are experimenting with generative AI to tackle the pervasive issue of hate speech online. Recognizing the intricate nuances of community dynamics and the diverse manifestations of hate speech, our project aims to develop AI tools that can not only identify but also respond to dangerous speech in a way that respects the complexity of social interactions.

This is an incredibly pressing issue and we greatly appreciate your support. To give you an idea of the urgent nature of addressing hate, the most updated data from the FBI, from March 2023, counts 10,840 incidents in 2021, involving 12,822 victims.
Out of the victims:
64.5% were targeted because of the offenders’ race, ethnicity or ancestry bias;
15.9% were targeted because of the offenders’ sexual-orientation bias; and
14.1% were targeted because of the offenders’ religious bias.

We look forward to keeping you updated on the impact of your contributions and the advancements of our Countering Hate project. For more information, please visit https://icaad.ngo/counteringhate/

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