Unsurprisingly, the trend is confirmed. Denunciations of hate crimes increased in 2020 in the United States, especially those targeting black or Asian victims, according to statistics released Monday by the federal police. A total of 7,759 offenses motivated by racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism or hostility towards other minorities were reported to US law enforcement last year, up from 7,287 in 2019, i.e. an increase of 6%.
The number of reported acts targeting African Americans has increased by 40%, from 1,972 to 2,755 during this year marked by the monster demonstrations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Likewise, the attacks recorded against Americans of Asian origin jumped by 70% with 274 incidents in 2020 against 161 in 2019, according to FBI figures which seem to confirm a trend denounced by this community since the start of the pandemic.
22 hate-motivated homicides
These statistics “confirm what we have seen and heard in our work and with our partners” and “show the urgent need for a comprehensive response,” commented Justice Minister Merrick Garland.
The federal police, however, urge people to be wary of any hasty conclusions and notes that developments can relate to “a different level of public participation over time”. More than half of the reported offenses consist of intimidation. But 18% of the attacks were serious assaults and 22 homicides were motivated by hate. The latter figure is lower than the 52 murders recorded in 2019, a year in mourning for the racist killing of El Paso on the border with Mexico which had killed 23 victims, mostly Hispanics.
In the United States, “hate-motivated crime” has traditionally referred to an act directed against a person targeted because of certain characteristics of their identity. This aggravating circumstance automatically results in a heavier sentence, but it is difficult to prove in court.
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