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Are there legal definitions of racist incident and racist violence?

Code:
RED23
Key Area:
Anti-racist Crime Legislation & Implementation
Strand(s):
Racism
04/03/2012 - 16:09
Short Answer

No. There is no distinct legal definition of racist incident, although racist motivation is an aggravating circumstance in sentencing, Chapter 29, section 2 (7) of the Penal Code. 

 
Qualitative Info

There is no distinct legal definition of racist incident or racist violence although racist motivation is an aggravating circumstance in sentencing, Chapter 29, section 2 (7) of the Penal Code. 

Lack of a clear definition of 'racist incident', 'racist violence' or 'racist motive' lead to no police case ever initiated on these grounds, although NGOs, international and civil society racist violence reporting mechanisms, report of  racist attacks and incidents occuring in Sweden.


Source: The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebygganderådet, Brå), http://www.bra.se/extra/pod/?action=pod_show&id=53&module_instance=11

Government Bill, Hate speech, Prop. 2001/02:59,  http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c4/09/18/177a98a8.pdf

 

Groups affected/interested Roma & Travelers, Muslims, Ethnic minorities, Religious minorities, Linguistic minorities, Majority, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, Africans/black people, National minorities
Type (R/D) Extremism - organised Racist Violence, Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-semitism, Islamophobia, Afrophobia, Anti-roma/zinghanophobia, Religious intolerance, Inter-ethnic, Intra-ethnic, Nationalism, Homophobia, On grounds of other belief, Anti-roma/ romaphobia, Xenophobia
Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas Policing - law enforcement, Culture, Media, Internet, Political discourse -parties - orgs, Anti-discrimination, Anti-racism, Daily life, Religion
External Url http://www.bra.se/
Situation(s)
Library
Thematic Study on Racist and related hate crimes in the EU - The case of Sweden