A hate crime is a crime motivated by the anger of one or more perpetrators against a group of people who share a certain feature that is considered offensive.
Synonym: bias crime
The target person may be selected based on some characteristic:
(1) racial or ethnic background
(2) sexual orientation
(3) nationality
(4) religion
(5) physical appearance or disability
(6) activity
(7) occupation
Types of offense:
(1) verbal harassment
(2) discrimination
(3) violence
(4) arson or other property damage
The perpetuator:
(1) usually is a member of an extremist group or has extremist views
(2) usually feels a rage that is triggered by the target person's actual or perceived group
(3) may feel justified in the act since the victim's group has "violated" some rule or law
(4) may act impulsively or in a premeditated manner
Some people may argue about the need for special "hate" laws since the criminal acts are already against the law. However, many of the victims feel bewildered by the acts since they often have done nothing to provoke the action other than by simply existing.
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