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A nearly 57 per cent increase in reported hate crimes in Ottawa is due, in part, to police finally properly coding the incidents and more people being able to recognize when a hate crime is happening to them, says an Ottawa police hate crimes investigator.
Yet in the overwhelming majority of cases, the perpetrators and victims are complete strangers, suggesting it’s rhetoric and ideology that leads people to target specific individuals.
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Posted: Feb 26, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: February 26
An anti-racism rally takes place in Toronto last year. According to statistics released Thursday by Ottawa police hate crimes in the nation s capital rose by nearly 60 per cent last year.(Evan Mitsui/CBC)
A local organization that aims to support and enhance Ottawa s Black community says it s not surprised the number of hate crimes reported to city police has been on the rise.
According to data released by the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), there were 182 such cases in 2020, compared to 116 the year before an increase of nearly 60 per cent. [It s] just a painful situation, really. It s so painful, said Godlove Ngwafusi, a spokesperson with the African Canadian Association in Canada.