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Official figures reveal just how bad Brexit hate crime has become

Oct 13, 2016, 18:26 IST

A protester wears a mask during a 'March for Europe' demonstration against Britain's decision to leave the European Union, in central London, Britain July 2, 2016.REUTERS/Paul Hackett

New figures released by the Home Office show a 41% increase in racist or religiously motivated offences following the EU referendum in June.

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Police recorded 5,468 hate crimes in July 2016 - one month after the vote - compared to 3,886 in the same month the year before.

The Home Office's findings are in line with other reports from police chiefs around the country, that also note large spikes in racially and religiously aggravated offences.

Hate crime is defined in the UK as "any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic," according to the report.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd emphasised the government's efforts to "stamp out" the "hatred."

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In a press briefing, she said: "I am pleased to see Government action is working and that more victims are finding the confidence to come forward to report these crimes."

"Our hate crime laws are among the best in the world, but we cannot be complacent."

The government's report shows a spike of almost 50% is still noticeable when the time frame is narrowed. In the two weeks running up to the vote, a group of 31 police forces recorded 1,546 hate crimes, before the number leapt to 2,241 in the fortnight following.

Seventy-nine percent of the 62,518 hate crimes recorded in the year 2015-16 were racially motivated, but another report by an LGBT charity said the number of homophobic hate crimes had also risen by 147% in the three months following the EU referendum.

The Financial Times quoted Mark Hamilton, the National Police Chiefs' Council's lead on hate crime, as saying: "A large part of this increase is driven by better police reporting and support systems giving victims the confidence to speak up and get help."

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"Nobody in this country should have to live their lives enduring fear, intimidation or - in a third of cases - violence because of who they are," he added.

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