The NGO ILGA-Europe, where ILGA stands for International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, has noted a significant increase in violence against LGBTI+ people in Europe and Central Asia in 2022. This is according to a report released Monday.

ILGA-Europe brings together more than 600 organizations from 54 countries in Europe and Central Asia. According to the federation, 2022 was “the most violent year for LGBTI people in more than a decade”. Violence is rising in France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, according to ILGA-Europe.

Violence against gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex and bisexual people has also intensified, according to the NGO. In the annual report, ILGA-Europe refers, among other things, to an attack on a gay bar in Oslo in June in which a man opened fire on partygoers. Two people died, and 21 people were injured.

The organization says that the violent crimes result from an “increasing spread of hate discourse” and calls on “progressive leaders to find effective means to fight against that hatred”. “We have been saying for years that hate speech in all forms translates into physical violence,” said director Evelyne Paradis.