INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE harassment and abuse of staff are among the 592 hate crimes record by gardaí last year.

A hate crime is defined as “any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to, in whole or in part, be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on actual or perceived age, disability, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender”.

A total of 592 hate crimes and a further 84 hate-related incidents (the latter not including crime) were recorded by gardaí last year. The figures are up 4%, but gardaí have said that hate-related crimes and incidents remain underreported.

Just under half of the reported cases occurred within Dublin. 

Racial discrimination was the most prevalent motive for such crimes at 39%, and anti-nationality increased to 25% from 18% in 2023.

Discrimination based on sexual orientation dropped with 70 incidents recorded compared to 109 in 2023.

In providing the figures today, gardaí also issued a small number of short case studies to illustrate what hate-motivated crime can look like. Several instances reported the racial harassment and abuse of staff.

One man convicted of committing a hate-motivated crime was observed by gardaí harassing a member of staff at a fast food restaurant at night in Co Dublin. The man, aged in his 20s, reached across the counter and slapped the staff member across the face. He was also alleged to have made racist remarks. He was fined €400.

Also in Dublin, a man in his 20s had assaulted a member of staff while exiting a supermarket. He was reported to have been aggressive and had threatened and racially abused the staff at the supermarket. He was convicted and sentenced to two months imprisonment.

In Cork city, a man in his 30s was convicted of a hate-motivated crime when he got out of a taxi without paying his fare. The following day, the man hailed another taxi in the city without realising that he had hailed the same driver he had evaded paying the previous night. 

When the driver asked if the man could cover last night’s fare, the man racially abused the driver and threw a can at the car as it drove off. The man was later charged by gardaí and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.

Releasing the data, Chief Superintendent in Community Engagement Padraic Jones said, “When a person or group is targeted because of a fundamental characteristic it is a stain on all of society.

“Together we must continue to reject hate and discrimination and consistently remind one another that everyone has a right to live safely and free from prejudice. Incidents of this nature are not and never will be acceptable.”

He encouraged anyone who has experienced an incident of a hate-motivated crime to come forward.