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Defining hate crime report: ‘What is hate crime?’

The “Defining Hate crime report” is a deliverable elaborated within the STAND-UP project on current perspectives and approaches toward the definition of Hate Crime based on the results of a survey and desk research.

The report comprises the international, regional and European framework, the discussion on hate crime rationales, a harmonisation approach towards a possible “common” definition of hate crime and conclusions.

Hate crime is a phenomenon that has received global recognition. It differs from ordinary crimes because of the motivation of the perpetrator, the impact they have not only on the victim but also on persons that share the same characteristics and society as a whole, and the specific legal arrangements established to handle hate crime and its consequences to people and society.

Hate crime violates the dignity of the individual and the idea of equality between members of society, damaging tolerance and plurality due to the ‘normalisation’ of these crimes because of their frequency and their unnoticed distinctive character. What is more, they create serious public orden problems as social exclusion and social unrest.

Though there is a multitude of international, European and national frameworks, it appears to be a lack of common understanding of exactly what hate crime is, how the legislation should work and which groups should be protected. The following report seeks to address this challenge.

The authors are Anastasia Chalkia, Katerina Charokopou and Eva Tzavala from the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR), member of the STAND-UP Consortium.

You can read the full report and name it mentioning the authorship and project!