Homophobic attacks rose 147% in the UK following Brexit vote
The number of homophobic attacks doubled in the three months following the vote for Brexit.
Figures found by LGBT anti-violence charity, Galop, found that hate crimes against LGBT people increased 147% between July and September, compared to last year.
The research by Galop found that 4 in 5 LGBT people had experienced hate crime. A quarter had experienced violent hate crime, a third experienced online hate crime and a tenth experienced sexual violence as part of a hate crime.
A quarter of those surveyed said they would not report in future, mostly due to the fear it would not be taken seriously.
The charity gave support to 187 people following Brexit, compared to 72 during the same period last year.
Following Britain’s vote to leave the EU, PinkNews reported that a group was heard chanting racist and homophobic slurs in London.
Ethnic minorities and foreign nationals also saw a spike of hate crimes against their community after the vote.
More than 3,000 reports of hate crimes were filed to police in the UK in the week before and after the referendum. These allegations were mainly about harassment and threats. Analysts did not predict a rise in hate crimes based on sexual orientation.
The Home Office will publish a hate crime report on Monday which will include figures up until April 2016. However, it is expected they will address the post Brexit spike in an addendum.
The Galop report, based on a survey of 467 LGBT people, shows low satisfaction with police treatment. Many of their anonymous interviewees confirmed that they did not feel they had received appropriate treatment and would not report a hate crime in the future as they were unsatisfied with the outcome.
Nik Noone, Galop’s chief executive, said: “Our ambition is that this report educates, raises awareness and gives insight into experiences of hate crime, support services and the criminal justice system. We must ensure that the UK remains a world leader in tackling anti-LGBT hate crime.”
