Toronto Police Say They Saw An 'Unprecedented' Spike In Hate Crimes Reported Last Year
Police believe the murder of George Floyd & the pandemic were 'contributing factors.'
A newly released report from the Toronto Police Services says that the number of hate crimes reported in Toronto increased 51% in 2020, a spike they described as "unprecedented."
In the 2020 Annual Hate Crime Statistical Report, released on Thursday, April 22, police say the number of reported hate crimes increased from 139 in 2019 to 210 in 2020.
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Police say Jewish Torontonians were most commonly targeted in hate crimes last year, but the report also notes a dramatic increase in reported hate crimes against members of the Black and Asian communities.
"Global events including the COVID-19 pandemic, first reported in Wuhan, China; and the killing of George Floyd, an African-American man, who died while in police custody on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, United States, are believed to be contributing factors to the 51% increase in hate crime reporting in 2020," police said.
Police say the number of arrests related to hate crimes also increased in 2020, from 23 in 2019 to 41 in 2020.