Bias motivated violence happens when someone treats you aggressively or with hostility because they believe you belong to a certain group of people. This could be because of your origin, skin colour, religion, the language you speak, your sexual orientation, gender, or disability.
Sometimes the perpetrator only assumes you are part of a group – for example based on your appearance, accent, or clothing – and attacks you even if it isn’t true. They may act out of hate, contempt, or strong dislike towards that group.
Bias motivated violence can take many forms, for example: insulting or shouting at someone (“go back to your country!”, “terrorists!”, racial slurs), threatening to hurt or beat someone, physical violence – such as hitting, spitting, pushing, or damaging belongings, painting hateful slogans or symbols on buildings, community spaces, or meeting places, posting hateful comments, insults, or threats online.