What is a Hate Incident?

Hate incidents are acts of bias, violence or hostility directed at people because of who they are or who someone thinks they are. A hate incident refers to any act or behavior that demonstrates bias, hostility, or violence toward an individual or group based on characteristics such as ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other categories. These incidents may include verbal abuse, harassment, slurs, bullying, physical aggression, or the destruction of property, all of which are driven by prejudice or discrimination. Hate incidents are often distinguished from hate crimes in that they may not always involve criminal behavior or legal violations, but they still have a significant negative impact on the individuals or communities targeted. These acts may stem from deep-seated stereotypes, ignorance, or societal divisions and can cause emotional harm, reinforce societal inequalities, and create an environment of fear or tension.

Examples of Anti-Armenian incidents in the United States include but are not limited to:

  • Anti-Armenian messages online in the United States

  • Anti-Armenian statements made verbally to you or someone you witnessed in the United States

  • Anti-Armenian imagery and symbols in the United States

  • Anti-Armenian bias, discrimination or treatment in the United States

  • A hate crime, act of violence, destruction or vandalism driven by anti-Armenian racism or sentiment in the United States

  • Anti-Armenian racial profiling in the United States

  • Anti-Armenian slurs in the United States

Hate Incident:

A hostile expression or action committed, in whole or in part, because of a person's actual or perceived identity(ies) orcharacteristic(s), including race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender, including gender identity, and/or because that person is a part of a group.

Hate Crime:

A criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more actual or perceived characteristics of the victim, including ethnicity, race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender (including gender identity), and/or because that person is a part of a protected group. A hate crime can also be based on someone’s association with a person or group with one or more actual or perceived protected characteristics.

Source: California Civil Rights Department. (2025). 2023-2024 Annual Report: Commission on the State of Hate. https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2025/02/CSH-2023-2024-Annual-Report.pdf