As England players responded to the racist abuse, new figures show a near-record number of people who complained of being harassed because of their race or religion in Gloucestershire last year.
A torrent of vile racist abuses filled the social media timelines of stars Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following England's penalty loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
England's players, as well as the Football Association, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and many genuine fans, have been quick to fight back against the racists.
Read more: Tyrone Mings slams Priti Patel after racist abuse
But police-recorded crime figures show that reports of aggravated racial or religious harassment, including online abuse, have been on the rise for some time, reaching a 21st century high in England and Wales in 2020.
In Gloucestershire, a total of 20 crimes were reported to the police last year, although many more may not have been reported.
Crimes reported to Gloucestershire Police actually dropped by 35 percent from the 31 crimes reported the previous year, contradicting the national trend.
However, this remains the second highest number of crimes of aggravated racial or religious harassment reported to the police this century.
It was also five times higher than in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum, when there were four infractions. There were also 12 crimes in 2017 and 14 in 2018.
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In 2003, the year of the Iraq war, four offenses of aggravated racial or religious harassment were reported to Gloucestershire police.
Gloucester had the highest number of crimes last year (12), followed by Cheltenham (three) and then Forest of Dean (two). There was also an offense in Cotswold and Tewkesbury, and one in which the location is not recorded.
Bullying is when someone behaves in a way that makes you feel distressed, humiliated, or threatened. That can include online bullying or bullying, unwanted phone calls, letters, emails and visits, or verbal abuse and threats.
If the harassment is racially or religiously aggravated, it means that the victim has been deliberately targeted because of their race or religion, and it is considered a hate crime and a more serious crime.
The maximum penalty for harassment is six months in prison, while for aggravated racial or religious harassment is two years in prison.
But of the crimes recorded last year, only one crime of aggravated racial or religious harassment so far has resulted in a criminal being charged or cited in Gloucestershire.
In England and Wales there was a total of 4,810 racially or religiously aggravated harassment offenses last year, up 39% from 3,452 the previous year, and the highest number recorded in the 21st century.
The numbers have risen steadily every year since 2016, when 1,787 crimes were reported. There were also 224,471 stalking offenses reported to the police in England and Wales last year, which was four percent lower than the 233,344 seen in 2019, but higher than any other year this century.
That happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that people spent most of the year under strict lockdown regulations that included social isolation from others.
'We want victims to know that we are here for them'
Jo Parks, Director of Victim Support Services, said: โRacism and abuse are never acceptable and we strongly condemn them.
โWe have been concerned about the increase in reports of racial hate crimes throughout the pandemic and we have seen a significant increase in the number of victims who come to us for support.
โThis has been driven in large part by changes in confinement restrictions and high-profile events like the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent trial that received wide coverage.
โThese hate crimes have had a damaging impact on the victims' safety and sense of self-worth, which can take years to rebuild.
"We want victims of racial abuse to know that we are here for them and that help and support is available when they need it, regardless of whether they have reported the incident to the police or how long ago it happened."
A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: โNo one should be harassed because of their race or religion.
โThere could be several reasons behind an increase in police-recorded hate crimes; for example, it could be a sign of improvements in registration practices.
โHowever, we know that victims of hate crimes may not report incidents if, for example, they have little trust in the police and criminal justice agencies.
โMuch work remains to be done to improve the process and the quality of victim support. This includes effective hate crime training for law enforcement and reforms to ensure our hate crime laws are clear and easy to understand. "
The rise in racist incidents during the pandemic, particularly against people who are perceived as from China and the Far East, has been well documented.
Last summer, many people took to the streets to participate in the Black Lives Matter marches, sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the United States, some of which were countered by far-right activists.
This year, England's players have knelt before all Euro 2020 matches to show their rejection of all forms of racism.
However, his actions were booed by some in the crowd, while several people criticized the players, including prominent politicians like Home Secretary Priti Patel, who described it as "gesture politics."
Declaration of the Ministry of the Interior
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said: โAbuse of one's religion or race is absolutely unacceptable and illegal, whether it takes place online or offline. People who commit racist or religious crimes must face the full force of the law.
โThe Government is committed to the fight against hate crimes, which is why we published the Action Plan against hate crimes in 2016 and updated it in 2018, which has helped improve the police response and public awareness of all forms of hate crimes.
โThe England and Wales Crime Survey also shows a long-term decline in hate crimes. Increases in police-recorded hate crimes in recent years have been driven by improvements in crime registration and better identification of what constitutes a hate crime. "
Deputy Chief of Police Mark Hamilton, head of the National Police Chiefs Council for Hate Crimes, said: "While these figures show an increase in harassment for racial and religious aggravated crimes, the long-term outlook points to which is the result of more victims and better recording by the police, but it is still worrying to see that people are being attacked for who they are.
โIn recent years, the police have worked hard to improve our response to hate crimes, including better crime reporting and more training for officers.
โEveryone has the right to live their life without fear of being attacked, either physically or verbally.
โThe police take all reports of threats and abuse seriously and we will work to bring the perpetrators to justice. I encourage all victims to report to the police by calling 101 or True Vision online at www.report-it.org.uk โ.
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