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CSUSB professor interviewed about Iran official’s comments on negotiation to preserve nuclear agreement
Press TV
Nov. 8, 2019
David Yaghoubian, CSUSB professor of history, was interviewed for a segment on Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said the door is open for negotiation on preserving the 2015 multi-national nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA more than a year ago, wanting to renegotiate for what it called a better deal. It also re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran. Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China were also signatories to the agreement with Iran.
'We will hold talks with those parties interested in preserving the JCPOA; the French will continue their consultations on the issue, and we will leave the door open for negotiation and understanding,' Zarif said.
Yaghoubian said Zarif’s stance on being open to negotiations is not new so long that all the signatories “are engaging in and accepting of their own burdens and responsibilities under the agreement. But I think it’s important that he stated it yet again.”
See the complete segment at “FM Zarif: Doors still open for talks about Iran nuclear deal.”
CSUSB professor emeritus comments on rash of fake news in Ethiopia
ZeHabesah
Nov. 11, 2019
Alemayehu G. Mariam, CSUSB professor emeritus of political science, wrote in his weekly column: “The information war (InfoWars) on Ethiopia today is in full swing.
“Lies, fake news and disinformation intended to bamboozle, hoodwink and confuse Ethiopians are spreading on social and legacy media like the bubonic plague.
“The vectors of this social pandemic are social media rodents, online mind-sucking ticks and cyber tsetse flies that spread anxiety, sleeplessness, confusion, demoralization, anger, misery, despair and a malaise of doom and gloom on a vulnerable population.”
Read the complete commentary at “Digital psycho-terrorists’ InfoWars on Ethiopia: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”
The FBI released its latest hate crime report on Nov. 12, and CSUSB professor of criminal justice and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, Brian Levin, was a much sought-after interview on the topic. Below is selected coverage that appeared in various news media.
CSUSB Professor Brian Levin offers independent analysis of FBI hate crime report
The New York Times
Nov. 12, 2019
Personal attacks motivated by bias or prejudice reached a 16-year high in 2018, the F.B.I. said Tuesday, with a significant upswing in violence against Latinos outpacing a drop in assaults targeting Muslims and Arab-Americans.
The data points toward a change from young people committing vandalism and other property crimes toward more deliberate attacks on people, said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, who produced an independent analysis of the F.B.I.’s figures
“We’re seeing a shift from the more casual offender with more shallow prejudices to a bit more of an older assailant who acts alone,” Mr. Levin said. “There’s a diversifying base of groups that are being targeted. We’re getting back to more violence.”
Read the complete article at “Hate-crime violence hits 16-year high, F.B.I. reports.”
‘Leaner and meaner’ hate crimes indicated in FBI report, CSUSB professor says
NPR
Nov. 12, 2019
While the number of reported hate crimes dipped slightly in 2018, violence against individuals rose to a 16-year high, according to numbers released Tuesday by the FBI.
The FBI's annual tally counted 7,120 hate crimes reported last year, 55 fewer than the year before. The main concern for extremism trackers, however, is the rising level of violence — the report showed an increase in the number of 'crimes against persons,' such as intimidation, assault and homicide.
'We're seeing a leaner and meaner type of hate crime going on,' said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. 'Homicides were up and crimes against persons were up and that's an important thing to look at.'
Hate crimes targeting people accounted for 61% of all hate crimes in 2018, according to Levin, who is co-author of a report released Tuesday that analyzes law enforcement data. The FBI recorded 24 murders classified as hate crimes in 2018, up from 15 in 2017.
Levin said the increase in assaults was almost evenly distributed across demographic groups, with African-Americans, Jews, whites, gays and Latinos targeted the most. As in previous years, the majority of hate crimes reported in 2018 were motivated by bias against race and ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.
Read the complete article at “FBI reports dip in hate crimes, but rise in violence.”
Latest FBI hate crime numbers indicate ‘a disturbing shift to hate crimes directed against people as opposed to property,’ CSUSB professor says
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 12, 2019
Hate crimes targeting people in 2018 surged to their highest levels in 16 years despite a slight overall dip in the number of hate crimes, the FBI said in a report released Tuesday.
The FBI’s tally, which used data submitted by more than 2,000 police departments and law enforcement agencies, logged 7,120 hate crimes. The total is 55 lower than 2017, a decline of less than 1%.
The drop is the first time hate crimes have gone down in four years. But it’s tiny when compared with long-term trends in increased hate crimes. Aside from last year, the total number of hate crimes the FBI reported is higher than every year since 2008.
“The numbers, on the surface, seem to remain relatively flat overall,” said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino. “But underneath the data there are some interesting trends happening.”
“There has been a disturbing shift to hate crimes directed against people as opposed to property and these increases are seen almost across the board,” he said.
According to the FBI, crimes against people grew to 4,571 last year, a year-to-year increase of just under 12%.
“The number of crimes targeting Muslims cratered,” Levin said. “Anti-Semitic crimes dropped. But the ones targeting Latinos increased for the third year.”
Read the complete article at “Latinos and transgender people are new biggest targets of hate crimes, FBI reports.”
Rise in anti-Latino hate crimes coincides with immigration rhetoric, CSUSB professor says
Reuters
Nov. 12, 2019
The number of victims in anti-Latino or Hispanic hate crimes rose over 21% in 2018, the FBI reported on Tuesday, and attacks overall are increasingly targeting people instead of property.
The data coincides with an ongoing debate over U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies and follows the August mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, when the suspected gunman told police he was targeting Mexicans.
“We’re seeing the swapping of one derided group in the social-political arena for another,” said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. “Attacks against Muslims peaked around 2016 when terrorism was the concern. Now immigration is the No. 1 issue and Latinos are being targeted.”
Read the complete report at “Victims of anti-Latino hate crimes soar in U.S.: FBI report.”
Latest hate crime numbers point to ‘democratization of hate,’ CSUSB professor says
The Independent (UK)
Nov. 13, 2019
Violent hate crimes have climbed to a 16-year year high in the US, with a surge in attacks on Hispanics, according to FBI data. Reports of hate crimes dipped slightly in 2018 from an alarming increase the previous year, but violence rose as attacks increasingly targeting people instead of property.
The release of the data comes amid ongoing debate over Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies and follows the August mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in which the suspected gunman told police he was targeting Mexicans.
“We’re seeing the swapping of one derided group in the social-political arena for another,” said Brian Levin, director of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. “Attacks against Muslims peaked around 2016 when terrorism was the concern. Now immigration is then number one issue and Latinos are being targeted.”
He added: “We’re having a democratisation of hate. There is a reshuffling in who is being targeted.”
Read the complete article at “‘Words matter’: Trump accused of fuelling attacks on Hispanics as violent hate crimes hit 16-year high.”
CSUSB professor discusses latest FBI hate crime report
CNN
Nov. 12, 2019
The number of hate crime incidents reported to the FBI last year remain at the heightened levels they surged to in 2017, according to statistics released Tuesday by the bureau.
The statistics released in the annual Hate Crime Statistics report are a compilation of bias-motivated incidents submitted to the FBI by 16,039 law enforcement agencies. The new report collected data from 110 fewer agencies than 2017's.
'After about a 30% increase over the last few years, hate crimes overall took a pause (last year) but the more violent types of hate crimes did not. So under this stable exterior, we see a shuffling of the type of offenses and the types of victims,' Brian Levin, the director of California State University, San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, told CNN on Tuesday.
According to the new report, Latinos comprised 13% of reported offenses pertaining to race, a figure that has seen a steady increase in recent years, which Levin attributes to a national shift in focus from Muslims to Latinos.
'I think we're seeing a swapping out of Latinos as immigration has reasserted itself as a top issue and as Middle Eastern-related terrorism has declined ... and the fear-mongering around that has declined,' he said. 'As the electorate has switched from having terrorism being the No. 1 issue, now to immigration, it looks like we've seen a switch for Latino victims.'
Read the complete article at “Hate crimes remain at heightened levels, FBI report finds.”
Election, impeachment proceedings may lead to a spike in hate crimes, CSUSB professor says
The Guardian (UK)
Nov. 12, 2019
Violent hate crimes and threats have reached their highest levels in the US in 16 years, with a surge in attacks against Latinos and transgender people in 2018, according to new FBI data.
The data comes from more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies. Overall, the agencies reported a slight decrease in total hate crime reports, which include crimes against property, from 7,175 incidents in 2017 to 7,120 last year. But the number of reports of hate crimes against people, increased from 4,090 to 4,571, a roughly 12% jump.
In other words, the most serious and violent forms of hate crimes are increasing to dramatic levels, said Brian Levin, the director for the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, who analyzed the data.
“This is really significant,” said Levin, noting that the 16-year high has occurred despite an overall decline in crime across the country. In recent years, the spikes in incidents have consistently correlated with political attacks against specific marginalized groups, he said: “The more we have these derisive stereotypes broadcasted into the ether, the more people are going to inhale that toxin.”
Levin said his review of preliminary 2019 data has found continued increases in hate crimes in cities across the US this year. He predicted it could get worse: “We are going through a presidential election and an impeachment … We expect to see a spike in hate crimes and violent political confrontations.”
Read the complete article at “Violent hate crimes in US reach highest levels in 16 years, FBI reports.”
Under-reporting of hate crimes means ‘we have victims that are not being served,’ CSUSB professor says
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Nov. 12, 2019
Minnesota’s leading Islamic civil rights group is asking for a hate crime investigation after a vandal struck a mosque in northeast Minneapolis early Sunday morning, shattering a glass door and shouting toward at least one startled onlooker inside.
The attack at the Masjid Salaam on Central Avenue came as the FBI released an annual report on bias-motivated crimes showing the first decline in Minnesota in five years. The report also showed a dwindling rate of police agencies reporting such crimes to the FBI.
Researchers say the drop in reported cases raises questions about how hate crimes should be tracked and investigated in the absence of mandated reporting and training on how to identify crimes motivated by bias.
“The problem is for those communities where there is very sparse reporting, we have victims that are not being served,” said Brian Levin, a hate crimes researcher at California State University-San Bernardino.
Read the complete article at “Attack on Minneapolis mosque comes as reports of hate crimes drop.”
CSUSB professor, commenting on latest FBI hate crime report, sees ‘leaner, meaner’ incidents
The Forward (New York)
Nov. 13, 2019
Hate crimes, including anti-Semitic ones, were more violent in 2018, with assaults targeting Jews at an all-time high, according to the FBI’s annual hate crime report, released Tuesday.
In general, assaults and other violent attacks based on bias reached a 16-year high, although the total number of bias-motivated incidents — a broader category that includes things like vandalism — was down slightly in 2018 from the previous year.
The data indicates that the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history — the synagogue shooting on Shabbat in Pittsburgh that killed 11 worshippers in October 2018 — was not an outlier. Rather, it’s an example of a broader phenomenon of growing anti-Semitic violence, includes an ongoing spate of assaults on visibly Jewish men in Brooklyn.
“I think we have a leaner, meaner type of hate crime going on,” Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, told the Forward.
Read the complete article at “Anti-Semitic hate crimes are becoming more violent.”
Hate crimes against people are at highest since Sept. 11, 2001, CSUSB professor says
The Orange County Register/Southern California News Group/Bay Area News Group
Nov. 12, 2019
Hate crimes against individuals surged to its highest level since Sept. 11, 2001, despite an overall dip in the number of hate crimes nationwide, the FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics released Tuesday, Nov. 12, showed.
More than 2,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide reported 7,120 hate crimes to the FBI in 2018 compared to 7,175 in 2017, which amounts to a less than 1% decrease, the first such decrease in four years. But, the numbers also showed that hate crime murders reached a 27-year high and hate crimes against individuals rose 11.8% in 2018.
The increase in crimes against people as opposed to property is troubling as the nation heads into a potentially turbulent political season, said Brian Levin, executive director of Cal State San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
“While the total number of hate crimes have slightly dipped, what is cause for major concern as we head into a contentious election year is the fact that hate crimes against people are at an all-time high — the highest since Sept. 11,” he said.
Read the complete article at “FBI report shows surge in hate crime murders and crimes against Latinos, transgender people.”
Immigration debate appears to have directed hate incidents toward Latinos, CSUSB professor says
Voice of America
Nov. 12, 2019
For the first time in four years, hate crimes fell slightly in the United States in 2018, according to the FBI’s annual statistics released on Tuesday.
Law enforcement agencies reported 7,120 bias-motivated incidents to the FBI in 2018, down from 7,175 in 2017, the report showed.
Among the report’s key findings:
- Anti-Muslim hate crime dropped for the second year in a row, from 273 in 2017 to 188 last year. Attacks on the Muslim-American community had trended higher every year between 2014 and 2016 amid a backlash against terrorist attacks in the United States and Europe
- Attacks on Latinos jumped for the third consecutive year, from 427 to 485. This category of hate crimes has increased more than 60% over the last three years, fueled by growing anti-immigrant sentiment
“A couple of years ago, Muslims faced a rise in hate crime due to stereotyping around terrorism and negative stereotypes in politics and social culture,” said Brian Levin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino. “More recently, the issue of immigration appears to have reshuffled attacks toward Latinos as opposed to Muslims.'
Read the complete article at “FBI report: Hate crimes dipped in 2018 after three-year spike.”
Latest crime study shows increasing violence directed at Jews by a diverse group of people, CSUSB professor says
The Forward (New York)
Nov. 12, 2019
The New York Police Department has received 200 anti-Semitic hate crime complaints so far this year, which is up almost a third from the same period in 2018. Almost half of all hate crimes reported were directed at Jews, according to the NYPD.
New York City is a part of a larger trend of an increase in violent anti-Semitic hate crimes, said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
“The thing to look at is really the crimes of violence,” he said. “Our numbers are showing an increase in violence directed against Jews and we’re seeing a diverse group of people committing this violence.”
Read the complete article at “Feel like anti-Semitic hate crimes are on the rise in New York? You’re not wrong.'
Hate crimes are getting more violent, CSUSB professor says
KFI Radio Los Angeles
Nov. 13, 2019
The news radio station aired interviews with Brian Levin, director of CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, after the FBI released its latest hate crime report. While the numbers showed a slight drop in reported crimes, Levin said the report pointed to a more disturbing trend.
“With respect to the type of offenses, they’re getting more violent,” Levin said.
Listen to the segment at “06:27 KFI AM.”
Hate crimes against people, such as assaults, at highest level in 16 years, CSUSB professor says
KNX Radio Los Angeles
Nov. 13, 2019
Interviews with Brian Levin, director of CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, discussing the latest FBI hate crime report were broadcast on the news radio station most of the early morning of Nov. 13.
He said that hate crimes directed against people, such as assaults and threats “have hit their highest level in 16 years, even as hate crimes overall remained flat.”
Listen to the segment at “04:40 KNX-AM (Radio).”
These news clips and others may be found at “In the Headlines” at inside.csusb.edu.