46 OSCE participating States have submitted hate crime information to ODIHR for 2022. Of these, 40 provided statistics, while 29 provided statistics disaggregated by bias motivation.
The official figures are complemented by reports on hate incidents from 113 civil society groups, covering 46 participating States. These contributions amount to 8,106 hate incidents, including 3,628 statistical incidents and 4,478 incidents for which detailed descriptions were provided. This information includes incidents provided by the Holy See, UNHCR and OSCE missions.
General challenges to reporting hate crimes
This year, ODIHR observes an increase in the number of states that submit data for the Hate Crime Report, resulting in an 80 per cent submission rate for 2022. There is also an increase in the quality of reported data, with more states submitting official statistics and disaggregating hate crime data by bias motivation. At the same time, a significant number of states do not distinguish hate crimes from other types of crimes in their recording, such as criminalized hate speech, as well as acts of discrimination, resulting in insufficient or a lack of information about the most egregious manifestation of bias.
Antisemitic hate crime
For centuries, Jews were persecuted as a religious minority. In the modern era, antisemitism has emerged as a political ideology that claims Jews control the world and are to be blamed for phenomena such as capitalism and communism. Antisemitism, including the belief that Jews are racially inferior, was the driving force behind the Holocaust.
Antisemitic narratives, such as blood libel, continue to be heard today. Complex contemporary challenges like the financial crisis or the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians are reduced to placing blame on Jews, drawing on such antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories. Contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism also revolve around the Holocaust, with some blaming the Holocaust on Jews or suggesting that Jews focus on this tragedy to gain an advantage. Denying the Holocaust is one way of expressing antisemitism.
ODIHR’s reporting demonstrates that antisemitic hate incidents involve attacks against Jews both on religious and on ethnic grounds. Attempted arson, graffiti on synagogues, assaults on persons wearing religious garments, the desecration of graves and cases of murder have all been reported to ODIHR. Some civil society groups have reported a spike in incidents in connection with the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Holocaust remembrance days, and other Nazi-related anniversaries.
