Physical assault most common LGBTQ+ hate crime in Jersey

Friday, 27 June 2025 15:20

2 in 5 people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community who report a hate crime have been physically assaulted in Jersey.

New figures, from a Freedom of Information Act, show that out of the 57 hate crimes recorded so far this decade, 22 have been physical assaults.

Men are also more likely to be attacked and discriminated against than women.

Out of the crimes reported since 2020, 60% have been targeted towards men.

The youngest victim is recorded as nine years old, with the eldest, 50.

Statistics from a Freedom of Information Request on the number of hate crimes and incidents reported by the LGBTQ+ community between 2020 and 2025.

However, there has been a decline in the number of attacks on the community, falling almost 50% across the decade so far.

In 2020, the police recorded 19 instances of discrimination and prejudice attacks, compared to 10 in 2024.

The results do show a slight rise in physical assaults, from five in 2020 to six last year.

Kaye Nicholson, CEO of Liberate, a Channel Islands equality and diversity charity, says although it is positive to see that the overall number of hate crimes against our LGBTQ+ community reported to the police has decreased, hate crimes do remain significantly underreported.

"In Jersey, a factor in this could be that there is no hate crime legislation protecting all minority and marginalised groups, which is something we continue to advocate for.

"We would encourage anyone who experiences a hate crime to report this to the States of Jersey Police, who can also signpost to support services."