Daily Mail – Troll of the Month

The Troll of the Month is an incident we choose every month to expose racist and anti-religious haters and to show positive outcomes in the fight against intolerance in Europe.

A Mail Online article published on 26 October claimed that hate crimes in Britain are a “great hoax”, and it did so by providing no evidence, belittling the impact hate has on victims as well as the work of charities who support them.

The author, Douglas Murray, uses anecdotal information to argue that hate crimes are not a significant problem, and should not be classified as such, relying on the unsubstantiated claim that Britain is the most tolerant country in the world.

Statistics on hate crimes, put together by charities and police, are disrespectfully referred to as “bogus statistics” by the Mail Online, but no supporting evidence is provided. Where is the proof of these claims? 

It is not clear whether Douglas Murray would only judge hate crimes to be a serious issue if there were thousands of weekly offences. How badly do minority communities have to be abused before he considers it to be “good enough” to merit some attention?

Crimes motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability should be taken seriously. 

The reason why hate crimes are recognised in law is because they often have a more profound impact on victims and the communities to which they belong. Studies, such as the Hate Crime Project at the University of Sussex, support this, highlighting that targeted attacks send messages to all members of the victim’s community that they are unwelcome and unsafe. 

With articles like this one, the Mail Online is spreading dangerous misinformation that perpetuates the unacceptable situation that minorities across our country are facing.