In 2023, Finland reported a record number of suspected hate crimes, according to a recent report from the Police University College.
A total of 1,606 suspected hate crimes were reported to the police last year, significantly higher than ever before and 29 percent more than the previous year.
The majority of reported hate crimes — 1,092 cases — were linked to the victim's ethnic or national background. These crimes most commonly occurred on public roads, streets or squares, with assaults being the most frequent type of crime.
In most cases, the suspect was from the majority population, while the victim belonged to a minority group.
Among the victims, 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women. The majority of crimes against men were suspected assaults, whereas women were primarily victims of suspected defamation.
Hate speech fuels crime
The number of reported hate crimes has steadily increased in recent years, nearly doubling from 2020 to 2023.
It now significantly exceeds the peak observed in 2015, when there was a surge in racist hate crimes as tens of thousands of asylum seekers arrived in Finland and discussions about them intensified.
Studies show a strong cause-and-effect relationship between hate speech and hate crimes.
Another spike occurred in 2017 when the police received temporary funding to hire staff specifically to tackle online and social media hate crimes. However, this funding was not continued.
In recent years, the number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland has stayed in the thousands, excluding Ukrainians seeking temporary protection. This figure has not seen the same significant increase as the number of reported hate crime suspicions known to the police.
All Points North podcast looked back at the series of racism and far-right scandals that rocked the coalition government last summer. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, Apple or via Spotify.
Ethnic background, disabilities, most common motives
The majority of hate crimes reported to the police are related to ethnic or national background. Over the last 10 years, these cases have accounted for around 70 percent of all suspected hate crimes.
Last year, Somali nationals living in Finland were the minority group most frequently targeted by suspected hate crimes relative to their population size. The proportion of Somali victims nearly doubled compared to the previous year.
While reports of hate crimes related to ethnic or national background rose from 930 to 1,092, their relative share fell from 74.7 percent to 68 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of hate crimes motivated by other factors increased.
For instance, hate crime reports linked to a victim's perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression increased by 54 percent in a year, going up from 140 to 215 reports.
In particular, the relative share of reports related to sexual orientation (10.6%) has doubled in a short period.
A similar trend is seen in disability-related hate crime reports, which rose from 54 in 2022 to 128 in 2023. In 60 percent of these cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim.
Hate crime reports linked to religion or belief increased by 36 percent, with Muslims being the most frequent targets.
Incitement against ethnic groups
According to a recent report, the number of crimes involving assaults, verbal abuse, threats and harassment has increased compared to the previous year, with the incidence of crimes of incitement against a national group even doubling.
The European Commission has demanded that Finland tighten its lax legislation regarding incitement, warning of potential action from the EU Court of Justice. The proposed legislative changes by the Commission would likely lead to a further increase in reported hate crimes under this category.
However, the Ministry of Justice has yet to take action on this, despite a working group established by the ministry supporting the Commission's stance.
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