Racial and religious hate crime on UK public transport is growing, data shows | Hate crime
Racial and religious hate crimes on public transport are on the rise, according to new data obtained by the Guardian; Community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys for fear of abuse or attack.
Police forces across the country have recorded a significant increase in hate crimes in the past year. Racistly motivated crimes in Scotland together Religious hate crimes targeting Muslims In England and Wales.
But public transport creates a special dynamic where attackers are often emboldened by alcohol, able to isolate their targets and get out at the next stop.
Racist hate crime recorded by British Transport Police in England, Wales and Scotland has risen from 2,827 incidents in 2019-20 to 3,258 in 2024-25, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.
Religious hate crimes showed a similar upward trend, rising from 343 in 2019-20 to 419 in 2023-24, but falling slightly to 372 the following year.
In August this year, Courtney was traveling by train from Glasgow city center when an elderly woman got into the carriage and sat across from her.
“I didn’t think about anything, I put my headphones on and was just selecting music,” says Courtney. “All of a sudden he started making racist remarks and after he put on his face mask he got louder and louder. I stayed quiet because I was really surprised, you would never expect that kind of hostility from a stranger.”
Like many twenty-somethings, Courtney vlogs parts of her day for TikTok. “But what prompted me to start recording was when he took out the Dettol disinfectant spray and sprayed it towards me. At that point, I felt I had to document what was happening for my own safety.”
The woman eventually switched seats but continued to verbally abuse Courtney, telling her to “Go back to your own country.”
Meanwhile, some of his fellow passengers stepped in to support him. She recognizes that not everyone is comfortable with direct confrontation, but offers this advice: “The most helpful thing ever is to show the targeted person that they are not alone. Just standing next to the person or reaching out to them can completely change the way they feel supported.”
“It’s hard to say whether the situation has become ‘bad’, but people seem to have more courage now, especially when they think no one will challenge them.”
Akeela Ahmed, chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, said the data reflected the stories her organization had collected across the country and called on local authorities, transport operators and community safety partners to “take urgent and meaningful action”.
“For visible Muslims in particular, the upper deck of a bus or a half-empty train carriage can mean threatening behavior, verbal abuse and even violent attack simply because of their beliefs,” Ahmed said.
He adds that the public transport attacks reported to the foundation are “some of the most complex and distressing cases we have ever dealt with”. “Many Muslims now feel compelled to micro-analyze every movement, expression or gesture for fear it could be misinterpreted, recorded and used as a weapon against them.”
“Most worryingly, a significant number of these physical and verbal attacks have targeted children on their way to and from school… the lack of CCTV coverage on buses and at many stops means perpetrators routinely evade accountability.”
While racist hate crimes are still under-reported, published figures are likely just the tip of the iceberg, according to Carol Young, deputy director of Scottish anti-racism charity the Racial Equality and Rights Coalition. “We know that using public transport may not feel safe for everyone, and that some people may avoid using public transport or limit their use to certain times of the day.”
Dave Rich, head of policy at the Community Safety Trust, said: “Whilst these figures apply to all racial and religious hate crimes on public transport, the increase over the last two years appears to be in line with the rise in antisemitic hate crimes since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. “This is an ongoing problem that shows no signs of abating, and it is vital that the police, CPS and transport operators do all they can to catch and prosecute the perpetrators of this hatred.”
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “Abuse, intimidation and violence, especially that motivated by hatred, will never be tolerated and we took swift and decisive action when we received reports of hate crimes on the rail network.
“If you are the victim of a hate crime or witness an event that disturbs you, please do not suffer in silence.”
