The perpetrator is liable for their actions, depending on the type of hate crime that they committed. In France, “hate crime” is not a criminal offence as such. However, any crime or misdemeanour can become a “hate crime”, which means that it could have an aggravating circumstance if the base offence had a hate motive. The perpetrator is therefore responsible for the ordinary crime or misdemeanour that he committed and in addition, they will face a more severe penalty because of the aggravating circumstance.
Hate crimes are very serious offenses because the biased motive may be considered to be an aggravating circumstance. This means that the offense is considered to be more dangerous than others due to it being committed because of a biased motive.
About this section
This section of the Guide will explain different forms of liability for hate crimes.
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