Vienna tops in hate crimes: increase of 20 percent for 2024!

Vienna tops in hate crimes: increase of 20 percent for 2024!

The latest statistics on hate crimes in Austria show alarming trends. According to the 2024 hate crime report, a total of 6,786 prejudice-motivated crimes were registered in Austria, which corresponds to an increase of around 20 percent compared to 2023. What is particularly worrying is that Vienna ranks at the top with 1,886 cases, an increase of 54 cases compared to the previous year. In the neighboring federal states of Lower Austria and Upper Austria there are around 1,200 registered prejudice motives. These developments cannot be ignored, because there is something going on that affects our society.

The most common motives for hate crime acts are worldview, which was mentioned in 45 percent of cases. In Vienna, the number of such crimes was 723 cases, 130 higher than in the previous year. In contrast, national or ethnic origin recorded 465 cases, a decrease compared to the previous year. The registered cases regarding disability also remained low at only 23 in Vienna.

The number of unreported cases and the clearance rate

The clearance rate in Austria is 67 percent, which remains stable compared to 2023. In Vienna, however, this value is lowest at 47.9 percent and shows a decline of 3.7 percent. These figures illustrate the challenges facing security authorities. In Vorarlberg, on the other hand, a high clearance rate of 81.7 percent is recorded. It remains to be hoped that more measures against hate crimes can also increase the clearance rate in Vienna.

As far as the perpetrators are concerned, 86 percent of the suspects are men and 26 percent are foreign citizens. The picture becomes even bleaker when we turn to misogynistic motives: Austrians were suspects in three out of five cases. This data suggests that the majority of crimes in our country are committed by domestic perpetrators, which is certainly food for thought.

The hidden threats on the Internet

A notable trend is the rise in hate crimes on the Internet, where almost 2,000 prejudice motives have been documented. Around 50 percent of racist motives are recorded online. The most common offenses include violations of the Prohibition Act, followed by property damage and bodily harm. In particular, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate postings are reaching alarming proportions. In this context, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner appeals to society to take active action against these developments in order to prevent the agitation from escalating into violence.

A ray of hope could be the recently adopted National Action Plan against Hate Crimes. The SPÖ has called for rapid implementation and emphasized that the number of unreported hate crimes remains extremely high. The figures from the 2024 report make it clear that there is a need for action to combat this form of crime and to protect the groups affected.

The statistics from the Interior Ministry report and the detailed analysis by [MeinBezirk] make one thing clear: a good hand in dealing with hate crimes is required, because society is faced with the urgent task of taking this problem seriously and responding to it appropriately.