Hate incidents targeting South Asians surge in London, new police report shows

Advocates are raising concerns amid a sharp increase in hate incidents targeting London's South Asian Community, with several cases involving violent offences.

A London police report shows South Asians were the second most targeted group in 2025, with 35 reported incidents. That's a 105.9 per cent increase from the previous year.

“The true extent of what we’re seeing in London and across the country is likely higher due to underreporting,” said Sunil Gurmukh, an adjunct professor at Western University’s faculty of law.

Hate crimes involving violence made up the largest share of incidents in 2025, accounting for nearly 43 per cent of reported cases.

The report also points to wider social and economic tensions, including housing pressures and the growth of international student populations, along with the spread of misinformation and harmful stereotypes online, as contributing factors behind the rise.

Black, South Asian, 2SLGBTQI+, Muslim and Arab communities were identified as the five most frequently targeted groups in 2025, according to the report.

There were 168 hate or bias-motivated occurrences that were reported in London last year, according to police data. They include 70 criminal offences and 98 non-criminal incidents.

“A hate crime is any criminal offence motivated by hate or bias,” said London police Const. Umer Syed, during a recent police service board meeting. “A non-criminal hate incident involves similar hate bias motivation, but does not meet the threshold of being considered a criminal offence.”

Both types of incidents are taken seriously, even when they do not result in criminal charges, Syed added.

“It tracks what we've seen across the country,” said Gurmukh.

“There's been a sharp increase in police reported hate crimes targeting South Asians in Canada, which rose by 227 per cent from 2019 to 2023.” 

Gurmukh says online rhetoric is playing a significant role in driving that increase. It includes claims that South Asian immigrants are responsible for housing shortages, they're straining the health-care system and are taking jobs away from people.

“There are three harmful narratives that we see online that make up what I call the blame game and fuel anti South Asian racism and hate online,” he said.

“Part of what fuels these stereotypes is the great replacement theory that South Asians are invading, destroying or taking over Canada."