Haters are gonna hate … and increasingly, they’re hating on white people.

According to the latest hate crime data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), racially motivated offenses targeting white people represented the fastest-growing category of hate crimes in America last year.

In 2016 there were 876 reported anti-white hate crimes – up 19.3 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile there were more than 2,100 hate crimes targeting blacks – roughly equal to 2015.

All told there were 4,229 offenses targeting “race, ethnicity or ancestry” in 2016 – a 4.9 percent increase from 2015.

This news site has consistently opposed the notion of “hate crimes” – as we made clear two years ago when the federal government slapped them on “Holy City Massacre” perpetrator Dylann Roof.

Here’s what we wrote at the time …

Crime is crime. Murder is murder. And yes … hate is hate. And the last time we checked, some level of hate was necessary for the commission of any crime … especially a crime which involves taking the life of another human being.

Has our perspective changed in light of the latest data?

No … not at all.

As we’ve consistently pointed out, people are free to be racist. We don’t think it’s right, but it is their right as Americans.

What they are not free to do, however, is allow their racism to deprive other human beings of life, liberty or property. That’s where the line is drawn, and no matter how much you may hate another human being (or an entire race of human beings), you can’t kill them or rob them or otherwise infringe upon their basic freedoms.

If you do that, it’s a crime.

Period …

Why is this so complicated? It isn’t. At least not until our “keep ’em separated” government gets involved.

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