Hate crimes have surged in Calgary in 2021

Calgary police say hate-motivated crimes surged this year by 36 per cent, with reported incidents of verbal assaults, physical assaults and property damage.

There were 346 hate-motivated crimes reported to police in 2021, compared to 240 in 2020. 

Police say the jump might be due to fewer incidents being reported in 2020 because of the pandemic.

"Last year people were staying home, not using the LRT and that sort of thing and our numbers were down," said Gareth Joels, a sergeant with the Calgary Police Service's Hate and Extremism Team.

"If I go back over the past four or five years, though, there's been a steady increase, and 2021 certainly got us back onto that path."

This year has seen a long list of high profile incidents where hate was determined to be a factor. 

In October, a Sikh temple in southwest Calgary was targeted by hateful graffiti sprayed on the road outside.

A south Asian woman was subject to a racist verbal attack on a train in September. In August, another woman was grabbed and called racial slurs while walking along Stephen Avenue.

In June, a Muslim woman with her children was verbally attacked downtown. Another woman was spat on and called the N-word.

In May, Police laid charges against a man who pulled over and attacked a Palestinian man's car and made derogatory comments about Islam along with threats.

Earlier in the spring, a young Muslim woman had her hijab torn in a violent attack on Prince's Island Park.

These are just a few of the incidents that made headlines where police say hate was a factor. There were many more that didn't make headlines.

Along with the rise in reported cases, confusion and frustration is increasing about the term 'hate crime' itself and what it really means when it comes to the law.

Many victims of racist abuse are confused to find out what happened to them wasn't a hate crime when it comes to the criminal code, even though it might have involved hateful language and even violence.