The last numbers show hate crimes in Halifax and Nueva Scotia continue to increase, with national and global politics and conflicts that often have an impact, according to the police.
On Wednesday, the Halifax Police Commissioners Listened to the Halifax Ya Halifax RCMP Regional Police on how they handle hate crimes and interact with communities.
In the municipality, 121 hate crimes were reported in 2023 and 72 in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. That is an important leap for a decade, when only seven were reported in 2014.
That leaves Halifax with a rate of 23 incidents per 100,000 people, which is the fifth highest in Canada. The highest rates were reported in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (33.9), Peterborough (33.5) and Ottawa-Gatineau (30.5).
Constante Madeleine Goldsmith, officer of inclusion of diversity for HRP, told the Board that these crimes are still very subregist.
“Statistics are quite afraid if you start thinking about that from that perspective. We are really looking at the tip of the iceberg,” Goldsmith said.
Nueva Scotia had the highest rate of hate crimes informed by the police in Canada in 2023 by province or territory, with 18 incidents per 100,000 people. Nunavut was second, followed by Ontario.
In Halifax, the most specific characteristic is the breed, with the hatred towards the black groups, from southern Asia and Arabic/Western Asian that are the most common. A personnel report said that hatred towards real or perceived newcomers (xenophobia) is the second most directed characteristic, then sexual orientation, religion and gender.
This generally fits the national tendency, with the exception of religion, which is the second most directed characteristic in Canada year after year.
Goldsmith said that often listens that people do not want to report incidents for fear of reprisals, a distrust of the police or be insensitive to these types of situations.
“It is alarming when we talk to the communities and we begin to talk about what is a crime of hate under the law legally, and … they are like ‘Oh, I have no idea that this was a hate crime. That is just a behavior that I receive so often that it is normalized,” Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith said these cases may have a “unique” impact throughout the community, unlike other crimes. If Graffiti is painted in a store to aim the owner, for example, anyone in the community who shares that identity could experience the same fear, he said.
Among the 121 hate crimes reported in Halifax by 2023, only 14 cases saw established charges.
Goldsmith said that it is often difficult to find who has committed crime. In a case that involves Graffiti, for example, the responsible person would have gone when he was discovered, he said. There is not enough evidence or victims do not want to go through the judicial process.
Lawyer Tony Mancini asked if the Halifax police have seen an increase in hate crimes to the light of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, “that there are only two genres”, or their campaign against the initiatives of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“What can we do?” Mancini said. “Listen to hate crimes are not reported because it is [felt] Being normalized behavior is unacceptable. “
Anecdotally, Goldsmith said, he listens that alternative right -wing groups become stronger and more open in their thoughts, “which can certainly affect statistics in graffiti.” She said the 2SLGBTQ+ community has been dealing with a “general sense of fear” following Trump’s comments, and other communities have told her that they listen to “emboldened voices” that show them more hate.
But national politics also plays a role, Goldsmith said. When Canada’s immigration policy changed last year to reduce the number of new permanent residents, he said that international students in Halifax faced “greater pressures” and isolation.
Polarized policy makes police work “much more difficult”
“Social polarization really is really a driving factor for the increase in hatred,” Goldsmith said. “It is sad to see that politics at the national level, geopolitically, moves to that polarized state. It makes our work much more difficult.”
Hate crimes are criminal crimes motivated by hatred or prejudice, and could include someone who does racial insults when they add someone, or graffiti with discriminatory language.
Both Halifax police forces are also tracking hate incidents, which are not criminal acts, but are still behaviors motivated by prejudices or prejudices. Examples may include racial or religious insults that are used, or someone who is told to return to their country of origin.
Between 2022 and 2024, HRP and Halifax RCMP registered 742 hate incidents throughout the region, being the vast majority (711) of the urban territory HRP.
Joanne Smith, research and development coordinator with HRP, said that these data are useful to see if certain areas or populations are being attacked. In this way, dissemination and community education could prevent things from intensifying at a criminal level.
Commissioner Yemi Akindoju, who is black, said he has experienced many hateful comments, even in the golf course.
“The reason why it is not reported is because they are too many times,” he said.
The personnel report said that a factor behind growing statistics is probably an increase in police care and application. HRP established its hate crime unit in 2022. It currently has personnel with a detective, but a second is expected to begin training in November.
The RCMP of Nueva Scotia has a hate crime coordinator that reviews the cases and provides experience to the mountains of the province.
Halifax’s personnel report said the number of hate crimes informed by the police is increasing throughout Canada. They rose 32 percent between 2022 (3,612) and 2023 (4,777), marking the third increase in four years. The total number in Canada has more than duplicated since 2019.
