Councillor Krupesh Hirani, a Labour London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, in partnership with Metropolitan Police, organised an important discussion on “Anti-Hindu Hate and Hate Crime Against the Hindu Community”. Key representatives of the Hindu community, including INSIGHT UK attended this meeting.
The panel leading the discussion comprised of Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor, Policing and Crime, Varinder Hayre Crown Prosecution Services, Superintendent Owen Renowden and Community Security Trust (CST) is the charity that protects British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism.
Councillor Krupesh Hirani emphasised that Hindus are disproportionately affected by religiously motivated hate crimes and that current police data lacks transparency in tracking such incidents. He stressed that addressing Hinduphobia (Anti-Hindu hate) requires accurate recognition and reporting to rebuild trust between the police and affected communities.
20% increase in crimes against Hindus
The 20% increase in hate crimes against Hindus since 2022 is concerning. This, despite the fact that evidence suggests that crimes against the Hindu community in the UK may be underreported or misclassified.
In the meeting, community organisations shared their experiences around anti-Hindu hate crimes. Hindus are the second most likely group to face religiously motivated hate crimes, yet these incidents are not adequately reflected in police records. For example, while Home Office statistics showed 291 hate crimes against Hindus in 2022-2023 (up from 161 the previous year), the Metropolitan Police’s dashboard does not specifically categorise Hindu hate crimes, making it harder to track and address them effectively.
Superintendent Owen Renowden who is the Lead, Hate Crime in Metropolitan Police, shared in the meeting that ‘Hindu’ has been added as a category under hate crimes.
Varinder Hayre from CPS said that awareness campaigns within the Hindu community are necessary to encourage the reporting of hate crimes.
It was agreed that the way forward was to organise regular meetings with Hindu community leaders to understand concerns, foster collaboration, and co-develop initiatives addressing safety concerns and community well-being.
Representatives from CST shared best practices and offered training in keeping communities safe from hate crimes.
INSIGHT UK surveys and reports
INSIGHT UK’s upcoming anti-Hindu hate survey and earlier reports on Western media bias which leads to misinformation about the community making them vulnerable to hate and violence was well received in the meeting. Both the British Media and Perception and the Spotlight on BBC Reports were given to Councillor Krupesh Hirani.
Councillor Hirani has been a prominent advocate against anti-Hindu hate. In November 2023, he proposed a motion at the London Assembly highlighting the rise in anti-Hindu hate crimes across England and Wales, as reported by Home Office data. The motion called for better recognition and recording of these crimes by the Metropolitan Police and urged collaboration with Hindu communities to improve trust and reporting mechanisms. The motion was unanimously passed, reflecting cross-party support.
Only by a multi-pronged approach and implementation of various measures, the UK can create a safer environment for its Hindu community while fostering broader social cohesion.
