There is legislation which protects victims of crime where the offender is motivated by hostility or hatred towards the victim’s race or religious beliefs (actual or perceived).
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998 created a number of specific offences of racially aggravated crime, based on offences of wounding, assault, damage, harassment and threatening/abusive behaviour.
- Public Order Act 1986 Part 3. For an offence to be committed under any of these sections of the
- Public Order Act 1986, there has to be “threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour” and it has to be intended to or likely in all the circumstances to stir up racial hatred.
Support available
Listed below are support agencies aimed at victims of racist hate crimes.
FAIR (Forum Against Islamophobia & Racism)
Tel: 0208 940 0100
The Monitoring Group
Tel: 0207 6366000
Gypsies and travellers
The Traveller community faces harassment and discrimination on a daily basis as a result of negative stereotypes and deeply ingrained cultural prejudices.
The Race Relations Act recognises Gypsies and Travellers as specific racial groups i.e. Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers, and those other Gypsies and Travellers who are ethnic or national in origin and could come within the definition of a racial group.
Support available:
Friends, Families and Travellers
Tel: 01273 234777