A hate incident is defined by the Crown Prosecution Service as hostility to another person, which the person targeted believes was motivated by their:  

• disability 
• race 
• religion 
• sexual orientation or 
• transgender identity (these are all “protected characteristics”)

Even if you do not actually have the characteristic the hostile person thinks you do (e.g., you are not a particular religion or race), it can still count as a hate incident. 

Hostility can include such things as verbal abuse (including offensive jokes), intimidation, threats, harassment, assault and bullying, as well as damage to property. 

Sometimes hate incidents cross over into being hate crimes – for example, if someone sends you hate mail, or assaults you.  

Hate incidents can include spoken words, but there is no single law prohibiting “hate speech”. However, a number of different laws prohibit actions – for example, using words to incite hatred to people belonging to a particular race. 

Citizens Advice have a useful guide to hate incidents and hate crime for further information.

For queries in connection with hate incidents or hate crime or you can contact: 

• Find a solicitor: Find a Solicitor - The Law Society 

• The LJMU School of Law Legal Advice Centre: Legal Advice Centre | Liverpool John Moores University (ljmu.ac.uk) 

• Eamonn Sexton at MSB Solicitors on 0151 281 9040. https://www.msbsolicitors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Criminal-Injuries.pdf   

Harassment 

The Equality Act 2010 states that a person is deemed to have harassed you if they engage in unwanted conduct in relation to your: 

• age;  
• disability;  
• gender reassignment;  
• race;  
• religion or belief;  
• sex; or 
• sexual orientation 

and the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating your dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for you. 

Unwanted behaviour could include things like spoken or written abuse (on paper or on social media), physical gestures or “banter” you find offensive. 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has useful information about harassment and other matters.