DOJ Gives New Emphasis To Combating Religious Hate Crimes

Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday issued a Memo (full text) to U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice component heads giving an update on DOJ's Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. The Task Force will work through a number of subcommittees, one of which is a Hate Crimes Subcommittee. The Memo reads in part:

We must also protect the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate threats or acts of violence targeting any person or community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs or background.  Accordingly, the Hate Crimes Subcommittee will develop a plan to appropriately address hate crimes to better protect the rights of all Americans.  As with many other areas of the Task Force's work, we are already making significant progress toward our goal of a safer America.  Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working with law enforcement partners in Israel and elsewhere, helped secure the arrest of a man believed to be responsible for the recent surge in threats of violence against Jewish community centers and synagogues.  I commend their outstanding efforts.

CNN reports on the Sessions Memo.