Northern Ireland has experienced one of its worst years on record for racist hate crime, with newly released figures prompting Amnesty International to describe the
past 12 months as “a shameful year of hate.”
Data published on Thursday by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency reveals 2,048 racist incidents and 1,280 race-motivated crimes were recorded in the year to 30 September 2025 — among the highest levels since monitoring began in 2004.
The surge follows a summer marked by racist riots and attacks in Ballymena and several other towns, alongside a continuing pattern of intimidation targeting migrant and minoritised families.
Four of the five highest monthly totals for racist incidents in more than two decades were logged between June and September this year. June alone saw 347 incidents, the second-highest monthly figure ever recorded, exceeded only by August 2024.
Belfast accounted for nearly half of all cases, with 912 incidents and 588 crimes reported across the city.
The organisation warned that without decisive action, communities across Northern Ireland will remain vulnerable to further escalation in hate-driven violence.
Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director, said: “This has been a shameful year of racist violence – from the targeting of families in Ballymena and other towns this summer to daily attacks on homes right across Northern Ireland.
“Behind every shocking statistic, there is a real person or family left living in fear.
“Yet too many politicians have echoed anti-migrant misinformation that provides the backdrop to these attacks, rather than stand with the victims of hate crimes.
“Meanwhile, the Executive’s under-powered 2015-25 Race Equality Strategy has been a dismal failure. It expires in a month, with no agreed plan in place to follow.
“We urgently need a bold action plan to confront and dismantle the toxic prejudice that has been allowed to take root across Northern Ireland.” Photo by Ardfern, Wikimedia commons.