Norway

Norway regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. In 2021, the Norway Police established a National Expertise Group on Hate Crime. The Group is part of the Oslo Police District and is a reinforcement of the Oslo Police District's Hate Crime Unit. The mandate of the Group is to build the capacities of the regional police districts through training and guidance and, if necessary, to provide assistance in specific cases.

The Attorney General's Annual Circular, which sets out goals and priorities for the year for police and prosecution services, has included hate crime as a priority area for over 20 years. This means that hate crime cases, whatever the severity, are given priority and cannot be dismissed due to capacity or other reasons within police districts.

SELECT YEAR

OFFICIAL DATA

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2022	923	263	203
2021	959	54	17
2020	744	804	67
2019	761	70	37
2018	624	60	37
2017	549	Not available	Not available
2016	466	Not available	Not available
2015	347	Not available	Not available
2014	223	Not available	Not available
2013	238	Not available	Not available
2012	216	Not available	Not available
2011	218	Not available	Not available
2010	307	Not available	Not available
2009	236	Not available	Not available

About 2022 Data

The figures presented above include incidents of hate speech and discrimination, which fall outside of the OSCE's definition of hate crime.

Hate crime recorded by police

The breakdown below excludes the offences of discrimination, harassing conduct and hate speech, which fall outside of the OSCE's hate crime definition.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

Download official data

National developments

In 2022, the following Action Plans continued to be implemented:

Action Plan against Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression, 2021-2024;
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 2022, the Oslo Police District organized a workshop aimed at strengthening co-operation with civil society, and in which several civil society organizations (CSOs) participated. As a result of the work, the CSOs now have contacts within the hate crime unit at the Oslo Police District to whom they can reach out if they become aware of cases within their community.

In a notable case, on 25 June 2022, during the LGBTI Pride celebration in Oslo, there was an attack on a popular gay bar in Oslo. Eleven people were shot during the attack, two of whom died from their injuries. As of June 2023, 264 victims had been recorded. However, the investigation is not complete and the final number of victims is still unknown. In addition to terrorism offences, the incident is also being considered a potential hate crime based on the bias motivation. Regardless of whether the bias motivation is uncovered during the investigation, the attack created fear in the queer community.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Norway's efforts to build the capacity of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to identify, investigate and prosecute hate crimes. 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 a 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.

Our methodology