Hate Crime Response in the OSCE Region

Violent hate crime continues to plague the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region. In the summer of 2014, anti-Israel sentiment was used as a pretext for an alarming wave of anti-Semitic hatred and violence in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Russia’s law banning so-called “gay propaganda” continues to create a hostile environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in that country; several of Russia’s neighbors are considering similar laws. In many other parts of Europe, too, LGBT persons are targeted by violence that often goes unreported or altogether ignored by police. Muslims and their institutions continue to be targeted for violence and people of African and Middle Eastern origin have been the victims of serious racist and xenophobic violence. In many parts of the region, Roma remain the most marginalized and face routine violence and harassment with little recourse to justice.