In statistics released today, hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales have increased by 2% to 115,990 in the year ending March 2025, according to Home Office figures. That adds to a near three-fold increase in the last decade. Religious hate crime has reached a record high, new figures showing there were 7,164 such offences recorded by forces, excluding the Met, up 3% from 6,973 in the previous 12 months.
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “We very much welcome this awareness week, which puts the spotlight on a disturbing rise in hate crimes, as shown by today’s statistics. These figures demonstrate the daily problems many communities face, which too often go under the radar. In the course of the last week, we have seen religious and race hate crime hit the headlines with the appalling Heaton Park synagogue terrorist attack and the burning down of a mosque in Peacehaven. Our thoughts are with the victims of those awful attacks and of all hate crimes.
“Trade unions have a crucial role in creating a fairer and more equal society - the scale of the task is huge. It is incredibly worrying that popular support for extreme right-wing parties has grown to levels we have not seen since the 1930s. That encompasses a wide range of parties and groups, who may differ in their views, policies and the extent to which they support or use violence. The one thing that defines them is their racism. Regrettably, their appalling views are being normalised in mainstream political debate through the increasingly right-wing agendas of the Tories and Reform.
“The politics of hate seem to have taken hold in our society. We have witnessed disgraceful scenes of right-wing extremists on our streets and it is clear from the racist attacks on hotels, which house migrants and refugees, that the far right pose a very real threat to people's lives. Let us be clear, these so-called protests are driven by racism and hatred - and nothing more. The far right spread fear and anxiety in our communities and in our workplaces. They threaten lives and the values of unity and solidarity that our movement is based on. We will always challenge hatred and division, as we stand in solidarity against hate.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
National Hate Crime Awareness Week is a week of action to encourage the authorities, key partners and communities to work together to tackle crime across the UK https://nationalhcaw.uk/
Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025
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