Data obtained by the Guardian reveals for the first time a breakdown of hate-motivated crimes, with Jewish and Muslim people disproportionately targeted
, in which 51 Muslim worshipers were killed when a white supremacist opened fire during Friday prayers, provoked calls for the government to formally recognise hate speech and hate crimes in New Zealand law — but proposals to do so have been controversial and the government’s political appetite for them has waned.
7% of incidents were reported as occurring online, but the most frequent locations were residential or public spaces, followed by retail and other commercial settings.The reported incidents resulted in charges against 1,103 people, according to the police documents. There is no specific hate crime offence in New Zealand, however judges are allowed to take aggravating factors – such as racist motivations – into account at sentencing.
Earlier government proposals did not include the creation of a hate crime offence, but would have expanded protections for marginalised groups in the Human Rights Act. Labour scrapped the plans and referred the matter to the Commission after the proposals became a lightning rod for controversy.
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