New Delhi:

As India warns its citizens in Canada of a ‘sharp rise in hate crimes’, data provided by Statistics Canada shows that there has been a 159% increase in the total number of hate crimes in the country since 2014, as reported by the police.

The Canadian cities that recorded the highest number of hate crimes in 2021 were Toronto (779), Vancouver (429), Montreal (260), Ottawa (260) and Calgary (139), according to a report published by Statistics Canada in August . .

Hate crimes based on race or ethnicity have also seen an increase since 2014. Statistics Canada data showed a 182% increase in such crimes. A 27% increase in hate crimes has been recorded since 2020.

A report by the Canadian Center for Justice and Community Safety Statistics further added that all provinces and territories reported an increase in the number of hate crimes in 2021, with the exception of Yukon, which remained the same. .

“More hate crimes targeting religion (+67%) (including Jews, Muslims and Catholics) and sexual orientation (+64%) accounted for most of the national shift, along with more incidents targeting race or ethnicity (+6%),” the report said.

Among populations targeted by crimes motivated by race or ethnicity, a 21% increase was noted in crimes targeting the South Asian population in 2021. In 2019, 81 incidents were reported, which increased to 164 in 2021.

“Much of the increase in hate crimes targeting race or ethnicity was the result of more reported crimes targeting the Arab or West Asian population (+58 incidents or +46%), and after sharp increases in 2020, more crimes targeting East or Southeast Asian population (+42 incidents or +16%) and South Asian population (+29 incidents or +21%),” the report said.

India’s opinion came amid a huge diplomatic row over a so-called referendum organized by “pro-Khalistan” elements on a separate homeland for Sikhs.

Canada has 1.6 million people of Indian origin and non-resident Indians. This year there have been at least two attacks on Hindu temples in the country. On September 15, a temple was defaced with anti-Indian graffiti.