U.S. hate crimes in 2020 reached their highest level in 12 years, per FBI

The number of hate crimes in the United States in 2020 rose to their highest level in 12 years, The Washington Post reported Monday, per data from the FBI. The jump was "propelled by increasing assaults targeting Black and Asian victims."

Civil rights groups have warned of "increasing hostilities toward minorities," exacerbated by a "tumultuous" year "marked by a global pandemic, a divisive presidential election, and upheavel in the economy," the Post writes.

The total of 7,759 hate crimes "marked an increase of six percent from 2019 and the most since 2008," the Post writes. What's more, the number of reported hate crimes "has increased by nearly 42 percent since 2014." This is the "sixth time in the past seven years that the number of attacks rose," according to the data.

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Attacks targeting Black victims increased from 1,930 to 2,755, while that of Asian victims went from 158 to 274. Attacks targeting white individuals saw an increase of about 16 percent. Read more at The Washington Post.