France | HCRW

France regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Since 2012, DILCRAH has served as an inter-ministerial body and platform for co-operation to address hate crime, including through research and financial support to civil society organizations (CSOs). DILCRAH, along with a number of CSOs, is also involved in the training of judges and prosecutors, as well as police officers and gendarmes. The Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes (OCLCH) is an inter-agency body composed of police officers and gendarmes that is responsible for leading and coordinating the fight against crimes against humanity and hate crimes, assisting and supporting local units in this area, acting as the national contact point for both units and external entities, investigating, providing expertise and preparing threat assessments in its area of responsibility.

Hate crime data are regularly published by the National Institution for Human Rights. France conducts regular surveys on hate crime victimization to measure unreported hate crimes.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2013 hate crime report for France

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	6,211	1,557	1,736
2022	3,807	469	355
2021	3,443	486	425
2020	2672	-	-
2019	2640	-	-
2018	1838	-	252
2017	1505	Not available	255
2016	1835	Not available	583
2015	1790	Not available	Not available
2014	1662	Not available	554
2013	1765	579	Not available
2012	2357	604	550
2011	Not available	Not available	431
2010	2	Not available	562
2009	Not available	Not available	579

About 2013 Data

Prosecution figures are provisional and refer to crimes based on racism and bias against ethnic or national origin, and include defamation and discrimination crimes.

Download official data

National developments

The Ministry of Justice continued to implement its National Action Plan against Racism and anti-Semitism, which involves the following: reforming the statistical system to enable a better understanding of racist and anti-Semitic hate crimes; better alignment of hate crime statistics across the Ministries of Justice and the Interior; setting up a web-based platform to report racism and anti-Semitism on the Internet; implementing an agreement with the non-governmental organization LICRA to support victims of discrimination; creating anti-discrimination focus points in magistrates’ offices and establishing specialist prosecutors. In addition, the Department of Justice and Freedoms co-operated with the Ministry of the Interior to harmonize their analysis of and information about hate crime, and to make it accessible to the public. An inter-ministerial circular was signed and highlights the importance of the web-based platform, while encouraging co-ordination among investigation agencies.

The French government also carried out a number of specific actions in relation to responding to hate crime based on bias against LGBT people. This included the following: the release of an interim report on the government action programme against violence and discrimination committed on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; the issuing of a circular setting out the appropriate criminal justice response to such cases; and the implementation of multidisciplinary training by the National School of Magistrates. In addition, the Minister for Justice issued an instruction for prosecutors’ offices that highlighted the following issues: the need to provide a firm and appropriate response to criminal violence and discrimination committed on the basis of bias against LGBT people; the need to enhance information services for victims; the importance of strengthening the relationship between the judiciary and specialized associations; the need to set up alert mechanisms for reporting and to ensure a timely response to offenses; and the importance of maintaining regular contact with the Rights Defender.

On 5 November, the Central Office of the Judicial Police of the National Gendarmerie was given the authority to coordinate hate crime investigations.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that France has met OSCE commitment on hate crime data collection and reporting. ODIHR further observes that data on certain OSCE-mandated bias observations have not been reported and that France did not report sentencing data for 2013.

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY CIVIL SOCIETY

Total Incidents
Targeted properties
Type of property attacks

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson‑in‑Office on combating anti-Semitism conducted a country visit to France. Following the visit, the Personal Representative presented his recommendations, which included enhancing data collection on hate crimes, police training on hate crimes, security assistance to Jewish communities and taking steps to combat cyberhate.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published findings from a survey on experiences and perceptions of anti-Semitism conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The survey showed that many respondents have been victims of anti-Semitic violence and harassment, and feared becoming hate crime victims in the future. The survey also mapped the extent of unreported anti-Semitic hate crime. FRA recommended that EU Member States consider taking a number of steps to improve the reporting, recording, investigating and prosecuting of hate crimes.