SDL Blamed For Sharp Increase In Anti-Islam Hate Crime

STV News has reported that a sharp increase in derogatory conduct towards Islam has been put down to a single march by the Scottish Defence League (SDL).

Figures released on the 7th of June, show the number of charges of Religiously Aggravated Offending against Islam rose from 19 in 2011/12 to 80 in 2012/13.

The SDL, a branch off the far-right English Defence League (EDL) group, have been blamed for this increase of 321% as 57 of these charges come from their counter demonstration to the Campaign to Welcome Refugees march in Glasgow.

If it were not for these arrests, this category of crime would have increased by 21% to 23.

Three reports on hate crime were released on the 7th, one on hate crime, one on religiously aggravated offending and the first statistics of the Offensive Behaviour Act.

Together, they show there has been a 15% reduction in offences involving religious hatred.

As well a sharp increase in anti-Islamic crime, there was also an increase in hate crimes against disabled people, which had more than doubled to 138.