<\/p>\n
What does the term \u2018hate crime\u2019 mean, the term that is more and more used recently? What kind of defense is possible against such crimes? Who must be protected? What is the difference between \u2018vulnerable groups\u2019 in society and other ones? How can they be identified? Why do representatives of the very groups need special defense? And do they really need?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0All these questions are very current; and having no answer to them makes it impossible for human rights activists to carry out their work relating to discrimination, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and many others. But even human rights activists – specialists in such questions often can\u2019t agree whether there is need for \u2018special forms of defen\u0441e\u2019, \u2018special rights\u2019, some groups to be recognized as special at all\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0Hate crimes – is not just any violence motivated by strong dislike. This word means only ideologically motivated violence (including psychological violence such as insult, mockery, humiliation), i.e. crimes motivated not by someone\u2019s personal hatred to another person but motivated by hatred to a group of people on grounds of national, religious, gender or other differences. A special word for hatred towards Jews, anti-Semitism, was found long time ago. The word \u2018anti-Gypsism\u2019 has recently appeared, though the phenomenon itself has been existing for many years. Racism is a universal word to name hatred towards visually different people, no matter if it is racism of white Americans towards black ones, racism of people from central Russia towards those who come from southern regions (Caucus, Asia) or even racism of black people from South Africa towards the white. There is also a problem of homophobia \u2013 hatred towards representatives of sexual minorities.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0The very groups are vulnerable ones as they cause hatred only due to their existence. As they, first of all, risk to become victims of crimes if they don\u2019t want or can\u2019t hide their differences. Some people say that it\u2019s better to avoid the term \u2018vulnerable group\u2019, not to recognize some groups of people as vulnerable ones but just to find the reason of crime \u2013 no matter if a person is a representative of minority or majority when hate reason is obvious and can be proved \u2013 both towards a person of titular nation and person of traditional sexual orientation.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0This statement, of course, sounds convincing and logic. Moreover, among representatives of majority, somehow, there are often people having strong complex of \u2018vulnerability\u2019; thus, they speak about problem of \u2018Russophobia\u2019 in Russia and even about \u2018genocide of Russian nation\u2019 though they have never suffered from any discrimination, and hatred towards them turns out to be just all in the mind, as they think that other people treat them the same way as they treat \u2018un-Russians\u2019.