Hate crimes can be directed at groups of people and groups can become victims in these situations.
Groups as direct victims
In a narrower sense, hate crimes can be directed at specific sub-groups of a bigger group sharing a common characteristic, although generally these should be considered to be direct victims.
example Where a LGBT+ community center is attacked and the perpetrators expressed their hatred towards the whole LGBT+ community, rather than the specific center.
example If a synagogue is attacked by a perpetrator who at the same time shouts insults towards the Jewish community, the group of Jewish people in the synagogue will be considered to be direct victims of the hate crime.
Effects on the communities
Due to the severity of hate crimes, the wider community sharing the same characteristic as the victim may feel frightened and intimidated. The members of communities affected by hate crimes may feel at risk of future attacks and thus also feel like the victims themselves, although they have not been directly affected by the hate crime and thus don’t have the status of a victim.
example After an attack was made against one Jewish shop, the Jewish community as a whole ends up closing their establishments for a few months due to their fear that another shop would be attacked again. Although not all the Jewish community has been a direct victim of the hate crime, they all feel frightened as a result of this crime.
It is particularly important that state authorities take proper action, not only to investigate hate crimes, but to also ensure that members of communities feel safe and trust the authorities.
example Following an attack on a synagogue, the police authorities should take action to increase security measures around that synagogue and other ones in town, so that the members of the Jewish community feel safe.