Hate crimes increase by 200%

Crimes of discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence have increased by more than 200% in the last five years, according to Justice Statistics, with 421 cases recorded in 2024, the year with the most occurrences.

According to Justice Statistics, which are the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Justice Policy (DGPJ), which brings together data from all police forces, crimes involving discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence have been increasing year on year since 2000, the first year in which cases were recorded in official statistics.

That year there were three registered cases, in 2005 there were ten, in 2010 there were 15 and in 2015 there were 19. From then on, the increase was constant, with 25 crimes recorded in 2016, 48 in 2017, 63 in 2018 and 82 in 2019.

In 2020, statistics recorded 132 crimes of discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence, a number that increased to 150 in 2021. In 2022, 270 occurrences were recorded, 344 in 2023 and in 2024 the number reached 421, the highest value since this count was made.

The figures indicate that between 2020 and 2024 there was a 219% increase in this type of crime recorded by Portuguese police authorities.

This Wednesday marks the International Day for the Elimination of Hate Speech, established by the United Nations to raise awareness of the dangers of hate speech and promote measures to combat it.