A total of 852 hate crimes were reported to police in 2020, according to the Finnish Police University College's annual report. The figure has dropped slightly since 2019, during which 899 reports were filed.
The biggest decrease was observed in crimes related to incitement of ethnic agitation, which fell by a third, to a total of 71.
Meanwhile physical assaults accounted for most of the reports with the number of illegal threats, harassment and defamation cases also making up a significant proportion of the total.
Researchers suggest that bar and restaurant restrictions related to Covid played a role in the overall decrease. Most of the suspected hate crimes reportedly took place in public locations.