RCMP surprised hate groups are “increasingly racially diverse”

Always interesting to see how organizations operationalize specific laws, regulations and policies. Pretty thorough information kit and their assessment is reasonable. One pet peeve, absolute numbers rather than numbers per thousand of people is less helpful in assessing the extent even if many hate crimes and incidents are not reported.

The RCMP is surprised that hate groups in Canada are recruiting racialized people and becoming increasingly ethnically diverse. 

In a report on hate crimes and incidents released this year, the RCMP noted about a notable shift in the racial diversity of individuals joining what it calls “hate groups.” 

The RCMP defines a “hate group” as any organization or collection of individuals “whose goals and activities attack or vilify an entire group of people on the basis of colour, race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or mental or physical disability.”

In its report, the RCMP blames the “rise of populist politics and the normalization of racist and incendiary political rhetoric” on the rise of said groups without pointing to specific examples.

The RCMP notes that while hate groups are still “overwhelmingly white and male” there’s been a recent shift in the demographic. 

True North reached out to the RCMP for comment but did not receive a response. 

“People who join hate groups come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, professions, and, perhaps surprisingly, they appear to be increasingly racially/ethnically diverse,” the report reads. 

“In recent years, some hate groups in the United States and Canada have actively recruited members from racialized groups in an attempt to soften their public image and bolster recruitment.”…

Source: RCMP surprised hate groups are “increasingly racially diverse”

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