Most of the nation’s 10 largest cities saw major surges in hate crimes last year, increases that averaged 11% to a record 2,173 cases, according to a new preliminary report.The big picture: It was the third straight year of spikes in the big cities’ overall average number of hate crimes and came as the Israel-Hamas war sparked jumps in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in the last months of 2023.Driving the news: The U.S. was on course to end 2023 with one of the largest annual drops in homicides on record, but hate crimes continue to rise.
- Hate crimes are typically defined as violence stemming from victims’ race, color, sexuality, religion or national origin.