Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of a hostility or prejudice towards that person’s:
- Disability
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Transgender identity
- Alternative subculture identity - for example "Goth" "Emo" "Punk"
Offences can be committed against a person or property. You can be a victim of hate crime even if the person committing the crime targets you by mistake, for example thinking that you are Muslim when you are in fact Christian.
A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.