Hate crimes are an area of focus in the prosecution service’s 2012-2015 strategy. Training for prosecutors, lawyers and judges on the identification and prosecution of hate crimes is conducted annually by the Director of Prosecutions. As of 2014, training on hate crimes is being introduced as a mandatory part of the curriculum for police officers.
In September 2013, the government launched a national anti-discrimination unit that is currently carrying out a comprehensive mapping of hate crimes, their victims and perpetrators. A number of key indicators are being developed to measure the current situation. The mapping results are expected to be published at the end of 2014.
Official police figures record 59 racist and xenophobic crimes, out of which 17 were physical assaults, six cases of vandalism, and 36 cases of threatening behaviour and harassment.
Hate crimes recorded as Racist and Xenophobic cover cases where: (1) the perpetrator was Danish and the victim had an ethnic background other than Danish, (2) the perpetrator had an ethnic background other than Danish and the victim was Danish, (3) both the perpetrator and the victim are of an ethnic background other than Danish.
Official police figures record 10 anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Official police figures record 17 hate crimes motivated by bias against Muslims.
Official police figures record three hate crimes motivated by anti-Christian bias.
Official police figures record 24 hate crimes motivated by bias against LGBT, out of which 11 were physical assaults, 2 cases of vandalism, and 11 cases of threatening behaviour and harassment.
This figure may include cases of discrimination and propaganda.
This figure may include cases of discrimination and propaganda.
This figure may include cases of discrimination and propaganda.
AKVAH reported three physical assaults, including one assault against an elderly Jewish man resulting in serious injury and in which several of his teeth were knocked out, and a series of desecrations of graves in which gravestones were overturned.
In his report following a country visit, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe encouraged the Danish authorities to pursue efforts to train the police on recording and investigating hate crimes, as well as to encourage the reporting of hate crimes by potential victims. The Commissioner also noted that disability is not included among protected characteristics under Danish hate crime law.
ODIHR observes that Denmark has not reported on the numbers of prosecuted cases or information on sentenced hate crime cases to ODIHR.