Hate Crimes Against Russians at Least Doubled in UK in 2022, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russians living in the United Kingdom have been increasingly subjected to verbal and physical violence over the military conflict in Ukraine, with data obtained by US media suggesting that hate crimes against Russians more than doubled in 2022.

Of the 45 UK territorial forces queried, only 14 provided data on race hate crimes targeting Russian people, the broadcaster said. The rest ignored the request made under the Freedom of Information Act, refused to answer on cost grounds or said they had not recorded anti-Russian offenses.

Of those who responded, Greater Manchester Police said they recorded 13 race hate crimes against Russians in 2022, up from six in 2021 and two in 2020. Derbyshire Police recorded four cases, compared to zero in 2021. They included an assault causing actual bodily harm and racially aggravated harassment. British Transport Police recorded three cases, versus none in 2021.

Cambridgeshire Police said it recorded seven hate crimes against Russians, including racially aggravated common assault or beating and harassment. This is the same number of cases as in 2021.

London’s Metropolitan Police refused to answer, but a UK media outlet said that the force previously revealed that it reported 16 hate crimes against Russian victims from February to late April 2022, compared to 22 offenses across the whole of 2021.

Mark Walters, professor of criminal law and criminology at the University of Sussex, warned that hate crimes often went under-reported and that the figures revealed were probably "just the tip of the iceberg," while the Victim Support charity said that children as young as elementary school age were targeted.