Human Rights First: report on Hate Crimes '07

In 2007, Human Rights First produced a review of the rising tide of hate crimes covering the 56 participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Hate crimes have been on the rise in many parts of the OSCE region. Perpetrators of hate crimes persistently target individuals who stand out because of their real or perceived ethnic origin, race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. Increasing fears of terrorism and anti-immigrant sentiment have contributed to growing xenophobia and intolerance throughout Western Europe, while extreme nationalist movements in Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation have increasingly expressed virulent racist doctrines through organized violence against members of ethnic and religious minorities.

The 2007 Hate Crime Survey can be accessed at: http://www.humanrightsfirst.info/pdf/07601-discrim-hate-crimes-web.pdf.