The FBI said today that hate crime incidents in the United States increased in 2008, up by 2 percent to 7,783, over the previous year.
The data released also show that the number of incidents against blacks rose by 8% to 2,876. Meanwhile, the report revealed that 72% of racially motivated crimes are perpetrated against blacks.
“It is not known if the reported increase in hate crime is the result of an actual increase in cases, or instead a result of a rise in the number of agencies actually participating in the program from 2007 and by reporting improvements in states with minimal previous reporting,” said Brian Levin Director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University.
