The British Society of Criminology Hate Crime Network is pleased to present a panel that explores often over-looked victims of hate crime. The first two presentations focus on disablist hate crime, whilst the final presentation explores the impact that being overlooked as a victim has on reporting behaviours.

Much of the established literature regarding hate crime against disabled people is written from a distance. It is written solely by academics, who, whilst they have fully researched the topic, have little day-to-day experience in managing the trauma or the primary and secondary victimisation that occurs following an attack on a disabled family member, friend, or associate. In our forthcoming book ‘Disability Hate Crime: Perspectives for Change’, we have taken a more holistic approach that draws upon the expertise of those who have experienced disability hate crime, those working in practice, and those with academic expertise. Therefore, this book not only engages with academic scholarship, but will also consider how campaigners, practitioners, third-sector (charity-based and voluntary) personnel and visionaries see how disability hate is affecting disabled people, their associates, friends and families. In doing so, we offer readers a variety of ways of understanding and responding to disability hate crime.

Hate crime is considered by criminologists to be a serious problem, not simply because of the number of incidents but also because of its symbolic effects: victims of hate crime often fail to report experienced incidents to the police, and as a result, it is difficult to accurately gauge the true state of hate crime. Experiences with hate crime are also considered to be likely to affect trust in the police, which in turn can impact reporting behavior. In this planned presentation, I will explain the findings of the quantitative longitudinal study Panel on the Perception of Crime and Offenders (PaWaKS n=5174). We asked respondents living in Germany whether they had been the victim of a hate crime (direct) or whether they knew people in their environment who had been victims (indirect). This data can provide insights into reporting behavior (sexual abuse, sexual assault, hate crime in relation to other crimes), and other factors that led to the decision to report or not report. We sought to determine to what extent victims of hate crimes report increased or decreased trust in the police. It was found that victims of hate crimes, as well as victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse, were significantly less likely to report these acts to the police than victims of other crimes. Victims of hate crimes are reported less trust in the police and justice system than individuals with no reported experience of victimization. Lack of reporting could not simply be attributed to reluctance on the part of the victim, however: in the case of hate crimes attributed to the victim’s migration background, almost one in five attempts to report the incident were rejected by police. It seems highly likely that such experiences can negatively affect trust in the police and create a feeling that the police do not consider hate crimes a major priority. Compared to the overall sample, people with a migration background are up to 2.5 times more likely to experience violence motivated by prejudice and have a higher fear of crime than people without a migration background.

For some disabled people, hostility can become a regular experience within the context of their everyday lives. These encounters can have detrimental impacts upon the ways in which disabled people think about themselves and their place in the surrounding world. To negotiate these harms, many disabled people employ tools and strategies as a means of responding to, and resisting hate. While we must continue to pay attention to the harms of hate, we must also recognise these responses, which we can understand as examples of affective possibilities of hate. Such a perspective recognises the way in which we shape, and are shaped by, our encounters with others.

In this paper, I share findings from a recent project that explored the use of comedy as a tool for disabled people to raise awareness of, and challenge, their experiences of disability hate crime. The project, which worked with two organisations based in Merseyside, provided an opportunity for adults with learning disabilities to experiment with humour as a means of educating others about the prevalence and impacts of disability hate crime. Within this paper, I argue that comedy can be a useful tool for disrupting dominant narratives that position adults with learning disabilities as inherently vulnerable, as easy targets, and as passive victims of hate crime. Comedy provides an opportunity for those targeted by hate crime to reflect upon and make sense of their experiences in a different way. Moreover, I illustrate how comedy can create an atmosphere that attends to the sensitivities of hate crime, while also enabling open conversations about personal experiences and assumptions.

Much of the established literature regarding hate crime against disabled people is written from a distance. It is written solely by academics, who, whilst they have fully researched the topic, have little day-to-day experience in managing the trauma or the primary and secondary victimisation that occurs following an attack on a disabled family member, friend, or associate. In our forthcoming book ‘Disability Hate Crime: Perspectives for Change’, we have taken a more holistic approach that draws upon the expertise of those who have experienced disability hate crime, those working in practice, and those with academic expertise. Therefore, this book not only engages with academic scholarship, but will also consider how campaigners, practitioners, third-sector (charity-based and voluntary) personnel and visionaries see how disability hate is affecting disabled people, their associates, friends and families. In doing so, we offer readers a variety of ways of understanding and responding to disability hate crime.

In this paper, we will draw out some of the key messages within this book by highlighting and drawing together the unique contributions that are made. We pay attention to geographies of disability hate crime and personal experiences, and we shine a light on the work of those whose work aims to counter disability hate crime and support those who have been targeted. Finally, we focus on change and consider the ways that we might work more productively together in the future.