Islamophobic Hate Crimes Doubled In Manchester After 2017 Bombing

Islamaphobic hate crimes doubled in Manchester following the 2017 terrorist attack on Manchester Arena.

According to Greater Manchester Police, there were 666 reported counts of hate crime motivated by Islamophobia in the year 2017/18. 19 of these were attempted murder.

The total figure is more than double the 330 recorded in 2016/17. In 2018/19, there were 517 anti-Muslim hate crimes, an increase of 170% since 2014/15, when there were 191 crimes of that nature.

What happened in 2017/18?

The only reported cases of attempted murder as a result of Islamophobia are seen in 2017/2018. There were no other recorded cases of attempted murder in the city over this 5 year period.

Of the 2,029 hate crimes carried out in total, nearly 20% were of a violent nature. 170, 8.4%, concerned criminal damage and arson offences. 56.9% of offences were public order offences of various kinds.

On May 22nd 2017, a terror attack carried out at Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert killed 23 and injured 139 others. Salman Ramadan Abedi, a radical Islamist who died when he detonated a homemade bomb in the arena’s foyer, was responsible.

What did Greater Manchester Police say?

Superintendent Rick Jackson, Greater Manchester Police’s tactical lead on hate crime, said:

“Although we did see an increase in reports of hate crime after the attack at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017, that increase did reduce and what was apparent was the fantastic way in which our communities came together in the aftermath. We remain absolutely committed to tackling this abhorrent crime in conjunction with local authorities, community groups and other partners which includes supporting those who suffer from it.

“Greater Manchester has a diverse population, with people from different faiths and backgrounds and this is something that we are proud of, it’s what makes us the city we are. We will not tolerate hatred or discrimination of any kind. People should be able to go about their daily lives free from hate and abuse. We have been working with communities to ensure people have the confidence to report incidents and will work quickly where we can to deal with offenders.

“I would continue to encourage anyone who has been a victim of hate crime to report it at the earliest opportunity so that we can maximise the opportunity to secure evidence and provide appropriate support.

“To report a hate crime call GMP on 101 or 999 in emergencies. You can report a hate crime or a hate incident online by visiting www.report-it.org.uk. Local agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Voluntary Services can also report the incident on your behalf and provide you with advice and support.”

Why did students cover this story?

A pupil from Manchester said that she picked this topic to research and write about because “as a Muslim living in a diverse neighborhood, I have always been surrounded by a mixture of people. Islamophobia has always been the topic of multiple conversations and news stories, so I wanted to find out more about the current crime rates in Manchester.”