The number of hate crimes in Finland has reached a record high, with citizens of Russia, Estonia and other former Soviet countries being the most common targets, Yle reports, citing a police academy report.
Compared to 2023, the number of crimes against Russians has increased“, the report says.
According to Yle, Finnish police recorded over 1,800 suspected hate crimes in 2024, up 13% from 2023. According to the broadcaster, the crimes mainly involved verbal insults and threats, with attacks being the second most common. It is noted that racism is the most common motive for hate crimes: nearly 70% of reports include alleged crimes motivated by ethnicity or nationality. It is also noted that Syrian citizens were the most frequently targeted for racially motivated hate crimes, as a percentage of the total.
“Among the plaintiffs in hate crime cases, Russians are in seventh place, and Ukrainians in eighth“, reports Yle.