The breakdown below excludes the offences of discrimination, harassing conduct and hate speech, which fall outside the OSCE's hate crime definition.
In 2023, Norway introduced a new Action Plan on Gender and Sexuality diversity. The Action Plan is a continuation of the Action Plan against Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression, 2021-2023. In 2023, the following Action Plans continued to be implemented:
- Action Plan against Antisemitism, 2021-2023;
Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination based on Ethnicity and Religion, 2020-2023;
Action Plan against Discrimination and Hatred towards Muslims, 2020-2023; and
- Action Plan against Racism and Discrimination based on Ethnicity and Religion, 2020-2023.
In a notable case, a man with a cognitive disability was struck in the face by a 15-year-old boy, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground. This resulted in significant injuries, including multiple facial and skull fractures and a brain hemorrhage. The court concluded that the defendant was aware of the victim's disability, and also that the attack was at least partially motivated by his disability. This was the first verdict involving a disability motive in Norway. In August 2023, the court convicted the perpetrator of the charges and sentenced him to three years of juvenile punishment. He was also ordered to pay a total of 1,400,000 Norwegian kroner to the victim.
This category includes hate crimes committed with bias based on "race", colour and ethnicity. A further 11 offences of discrimination, 96 offences of harassing conduct, and 298 offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
One offence of discrimination, 10 offences of harassing conduct, and 23 offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
A further 18 offences of harassing conduct, and 27 offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
A further two offences of discrimination, six offences of harassing conduct, and 17 offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
This category includes 202 hate crimes committed with bias based on sexual orientation and 104 hate crimes committed with bias based on gender identity or gender expression. A further three offences of discrimination, 52 offences of harassing conduct, and 100 offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
A further two offences of discrimination, six offences of harassing conduct, and five offences of hate speech were reported under this category but not included in the breakdown above.
The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent published relevant recommendations in its "Visit to Norway: Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent".
ODIHR recognizes Norway's efforts to introduce strategic policy frameworks to address discrimination and the hate crime victimization of selected communities. However, based on the available information, it observes that Norway's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Norway would benefit from ensuring that hate crimes are addressed in a comprehensive manner, including by introducing an inter-agency co-ordination mechanism.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States agreed to a common definition of hate crime and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished throughout the recording and data collection process from discrimination and other crimes. In Ministerial Council Decisions 9/09 and 13/06, participating States also committed to ensuring a comprehensive approach to hate crimes. The authorities are therefore required to co-ordinate among themselves while collaborating closely with civil society.
ODIHR stands ready to support Norway in meeting its relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as by providing further resources in the area of addressing hate crimes comprehensively.
🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.