The Factors Contributing to The Spark in Hate Crimes

It can be argued that there are many significant causes to the rise in hate crimes when examining the way the perpetrators feel threatened, and as a result, it has an everlasting result in the future. Hate crimes are when an individual commits a violent act that is motivated by prejudice and/or ignorance on the basis of various identities including but not limited to race, gender, religion and sexuality.

To begin with, one main significant cause of hate crimes is immigration which increases hate crimes due to causing fear to others. To illustrate, there were a series of bombings in 1998 Cannes and Nice attacks that were committed by neo-Nazi extremists against immigrants. This heinous act was done by using gas bottles injuring four people. To further explain, these findings the natives feared the immigrants since they thought that would mean changes would occur in their lives. A majority of them believe in Hitler’s ideology where the weak should die. As a result, this displays hate crimes since they constantly told all immigrants that they were inferior and defenceless as compared to them. This made other natives get inspired and it became a norm for everyone to do commit attacks on newcomers, which sparked the rise of hate crimes in the area. Hate crimes send messages to members of the affected group that they are unsafe and unwelcome in the area, which makes the victims feel unsafe and insecure. Furthermore, it makes society become disunified and it prevents progression.

Additionally, the increase in world terrorist attacks which put blame on certain minority groups which increased hate crimes. In this specific example, which is famously knowns 9/11 had a big impact on people’s ideology. Weeks after 9/11 there was a surge in the occurrence of hate crimes against minorities who they thought were Middle Eastern. For instance, a Sikh man was killed on September 15 at a gas station that he owned, due to the killer assuming that he was Muslim because of his turban, he later said that his motives were to avenge for the 9/11 attacks. To elaborate, terrorist attacks play an influential role in the increase in hate crimes as the perpetrators are able to justify their heinous acts. To elaborate in the years after the attack hate crimes against Muslims jumped 1600% and this is further aggravated by a climate of prejudice that manifests in different ways. Ultimately it has an effect on society and the consequences are included but limited to health effects, economic, grants and funds.

Lastly, one main significant cause of hate crimes is retaliatory actions that are committed by perpetrators who feel that they have been personally victimized. To demonstrate, there was a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France on November 13 of 2015. During this attack, 130 people were killed and another 494 were wounded. The attackers, armed to the teeth, targeted six different locations across the city. In this specific example, The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) claimed these terrorist attacks occurred due to France’s campaign against Muslims. The perpetrators declared that these attacks were a response to insults and disrespect towards one of Islam's prophets. They felt as if they were victimized and targeted as a French magazine had made a cartoon of the Prophet of Mohhamed and published it. This is a prime example of retaliatory action as a very imminent figure in the Islamic culture was insulted in France which led to ISIS to take very violent action towards the people of Paris. For instance, ISIS only attacked on the grounds of France insulting a prominent figure in the Muslim religion. The fact that these events only occurred because the people of Syria and Iraq felt threatened and harassed to the point where they had to commit violent acts to get back at France, proves that hate crimes significantly rise when the offender feels personally threatened. Moreover, this effects the future as people from a Muslim ethnicity that reside in France will not feel welcome or have a sense of belonging due to what has been witnessed in America to Muslims after 9/11.

All in all, it can be argued that there are lots of important factors that can lead to a spark in hate crimes when analyzing how the offender has been personally affected or threatened, and thereby cause an influx in hate crimes.