139 ‘hate crimes’ have been registered in the Balearic Islands in the last 5 years and 38 of those were reported in 2019.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, that’s the highest number of 'hate crimes' in the Islands since 2014.
The report by the National Office for the Fight against Hate Crimes, highlights injuries, insults, damage or coercion in which the victim is part of a particular group.
The Balearics had 3.3 incidents for every 100,000 inhabitants which is slightly lower than the national average of 3.6 and way below regions such as Catalonia which had 6.7 incidents per 100,00 inhabitants.
Allegations of generational discrimination, gender discrimination, homophobia and anti-religion discrimination were also reported in the Balearic Islands, but there were no reports of anti-Semitism, aporaphobia, anti-Gypsyism or discrimination against people with disabilities.
33 people were victims of ‘hate crimes’ last year, which is higher than in recent years, but only 17 cases ended up being clarified by the Security Forces, which resulted in the arrest of three people.
Over the last 5 years, 25 people have been arrested for ‘hate crimes’ according to the report.
"The main motivating factor is 'prejudice', which is what distinguishes 'hate crimes' from other illegal acts, and makes them of particular concern to the National Authorities and International Organisations,” the report states.
The data highlights an overall increase in ‘hate crimes’ nationwide, with a notable spike in crimes with a racist motive.
The main issues were threats and aggression and most of the incidents reported took place on public streets.