Racially and religiously motivated hate refers to incidents that you or anyone else was motivated by hostility or prejudice against someone’s racial or ethnic origin, or religion or lack of religion. Anyone can be subjected to racist and religious hate.
Racist hate: Racism refers to hate directed at someone because of their race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin. This also includes gypsies and travellers, refugees and asylum seekers, and Jewish people and Sikhs.
An example of racist hate would be racist words or names directed at someone because of their race or ethnic origin. These could be expressed verbally or written in the form of graffiti or messages online. Racist hate could also take the form of nasty or offensive gestures. Racist hate is classed as such whether the person is aware of it happening, or if it happens without their knowledge.
Religious hate: Islamophobia refers to hatred of or prejudice against the religion of Islam, or members of the Muslim community and antisemitism refers to hatred of or prejudice against the religion of Judaism, or members of the Jewish community.
An example of religious hate could be when a place of worship is attacked or when content attacking another religion or faith is circulated publicly, via social media or on leaflets, for example. Religious hate is classed as such whether the person is aware of it happening, or if it happens without their knowledge.
In Scotland, a common form of religious hate is sectarianism, which usually refers to divisions between Protestant and Catholic communities. Sectarianism is often associated with football, with sectarian banners and chanting being a common feature during football matches. This type of hate often extends beyond football and can lead to significant acts of violence.
You can be a victim of racist or religious hate if someone believes you’re of a particular racial or ethnic origin, or if they believe you have a specific religion, even if this is not true. You can also be a victim of racist and religious hate because of your association with a people of a particular race or ethnic origin, or religion.
Independent specialist support (UK specific)
Experiencing or witnessing racial and religious hate can be extremely distressing. If you have experienced or witnesses racial or religious hate, there are a number of resources that you can access for support.
- The Monitoring Group provide casework and advocacy support to people who have been affected by racism. They can provide advice and support via their online reporting tool. You can complete the online racism reporting form here.
- Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a free, confidential service that allows people to report anti-Muslim hate via their portal. They can provide counselling support, as well as referrals to partner agencies. Call the helpline on 0800 456 1226 or text 0115 707 00 07. You can also submit a report online.
- The Muslim Community Helpline provides a confidential, non-judgemental listening and emotional support service for Muslims. The service provides information and support for any issues that you may be experiencing and can connect you with other Muslim and non-Muslim organisations. Call the helpline on 0208 904 8193 or 020 8908 6715. This service is available 10:00-13:00 Monday to Thursday, and 10:00-16:00 on Friday.
- Community Security Trust (CST) is a charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and other forms of hate. They provide a reporting service for anyone who has been a victim of anti-Semitic hate to access information and support. Call the national emergency number on 0800 032 3263 to report. You can also report any incident online or by emailing incidents@cst.org.uk.
- Friends, Families & Travellers are a charity working to end racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people. They have a helpline where they can provide advice and support for any issues you may be facing. Call 01273 234 777. The helpline is available 10:00-16:30 Monday to Friday. For more general support, you can visit their advice page.
- Victim Support Scotland provides free and confidential help to victims of crime, their family, friends and anyone else affected. They give information, and emotional and practical support. Call 0800 160 1985. The helpline is available 08:00-20:00 Monday to Friday, and 09:00-01:00 on Saturday. You can also contact them via their webchat service, or by completing the online Self-Referral form.