The European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has published data on the violence and harassment faced by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers across the EU. The paper Current migration situation in the EU: hate crime – November 2016 reports that such acts are perpetrated by state authorities as well as organised vigilante groups and private individuals.
The key findings of the report include that violent threats against migrants, refugees and members of ethnic minorities are common across the EU, that they are carried out by a range of different perpetrators, and that civil society organisations in many member states so not feel that government responses to the issue are sufficient. The report also finds that there is an increasing amount of violence towards people, such as politicians, activists and civil society representatives, perceived as being ‘pro-refugee’. Additionally the data outline the multiple discrimination faced by many in the EU.
The report also highlights the many ways in which data reporting on hate crime does not cover all instances, and that a lack of relevant data is hampering efforts to develop effective measures to tackle hate crime.
You can find more information, and a link to the full report, here.