Reports of hate crimes in New York reach record high – state official blames rampant anti-Semitism
Hate crimes in New York have risen by a record 69% since 2019, largely due to rampant anti-Semitism, according to a sobering analysis released Wednesday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Hate crimes against Jews increased 89% nationwide – from 253 incidents in 2018 to a whopping 477 incidents in 2023 – while the number of anti-Muslim incidents increased 106% from 18 to 37 incidents, the report said.
About 44 percent of all hate crimes recorded last year and 88 percent of religious hate crimes recorded statewide were against Jewish victims amid the raging war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – the largest share of all such crimes.
“The data compiled by the ACA confirms what Jewish New Yorkers unfortunately experience all too often in their community,” said Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
The report was “very serious and sobering,” he added.
The total number of 1,089 hate incidents reported last year was the highest ever recorded since annual reporting was introduced in 2000, the report said.
Data from New York City shows that about 58% of all 669 hate crimes in 2023 were committed against people, not property.
A third of the incidents were so egregious that they could be classified as capital crimes. These included 72 serious physical assaults, almost half of which were directed against Jews or homosexuals, according to the analysis.
According to DiNapoli, incidents against Jews accounted for a whopping 65% of all hate crimes in the Big Apple in 2023.
The most common offense was first-degree aggravated harassment, a crime that includes acts such as painting a swastika, placing a noose on a person’s property, or damaging religious facilities.
“In New York City, there were 145 incidents of this kind, and all but 14 were committed with anti-Jewish motivation,” the auditor’s report said.
Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer (D-White Plains) said, “We need stronger education initiatives to combat hate.”
Almost 17% of all recorded hate crimes and 52% of racially motivated hate crimes were directed against black residents.
The number of bias-related crimes against black victims has doubled from 91 in 2018 to 183 in 2023.
According to the data, hate crimes against homosexuals accounted for 12 percent of all incidents.
Over the past five years, the number of anti-gay incidents has skyrocketed by 141 percent (from 54 to 130), and the number of hate crimes against transgender citizens in New York has increased from 10 to 24.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes against Asians rose from five reported incidents in 2019 to 140 in 2021, the data showed. While the number of anti-Asian incidents has declined over the past two years, they remain 11 times higher than the number of incidents reported in 2019.
The increase in hate crimes in 2023 was about the same in the city and the rest of the state – 12.6% in the city and 12.9% outside the city.
However, the rate of increase in reported hate crimes since 2019 has been higher outside the city – 87.5% compared to 59.3% in the Big Apple.
DiNapoli’s office had no explanation for the difference, but said the 2023 report would contain more detailed information about the nature of hate crimes in the city than in the rest of the state.
“New York is a diverse hub of cultures, faiths and identities whose strength has always been in creating community bonds that unite us,” DiNapoli said.
“Fighting hate and bigotry requires that we communicate with, respect and accept our neighbors,” he added. “It requires our spiritual, political, civic and economic leaders to take an active role in condemning hate, investing in prevention and protection measures, and improving education that celebrates the value of New York’s diversity.”