What’s a
hate act?
They come in all shapes and sizes but have one thing in common; the damage they do not just to the individual receiving them, but to our society, values and well-being.
Hate Incidents
Hate incidents are actions and speech rooted in prejudice that, in the view of the person who experiences or witnesses it, are:
- aimed at a person or a group of people because of their actual or perceived individual, collective or intersecting characteristics including age, disability, gender expression or identity, ethnicity, Indigenous identity, place of origin, race, immigration status, religion, sex, sexual orientation and social condition, and
- intended to, or does, significantly dehumanize, humiliate, degrade, injure, silence and/or victimize the targeted individual or group.
Hate Speech
Both Canada’s Criminal Code and BC’s Human Rights Code describe hate speech as having three main parts:
- It is expressed in a public way or place
- It targets a person or group of people with a protected characteristic such as race, religion or sexual orientation
- It uses extreme language to express hatred towards that person or group of people because of their protected characteristic
Hate speech uses extreme language to describe the targeted group that is likely to expose them to detestation and vilification.
Hate Crime
A hate crime in Canada is a criminal offence against a person, group or property that is motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other similar factor.
The Criminal Code of Canada includes three sections: hate propaganda advocating genocide, public incitement or willful promotion of hatred, and mischief related to certain property.
97%
In 2020 Hate Crimes Doubled FROM The Previous Years
Vancouver 2020 Police Crime Report
1 in 4
have experienced or witnessed hate incident since the start of the pandemic
British Columbia's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
Have you
witnessed an
act of hate?
If you experience or witness a hate crime, call your local police or RCMP. Complaints about hate incidents can be brought to the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
