[JURIST] The Washington-based monitoring group Human Rights First [advocacy website] has released a new report [PDF text; HRF factsheet] detailing a significant rise in violent hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, and immigrants in Europe. In France, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose 63% from 2003 to 2004. In Britain, violent anti-Semitic assaults doubled in 2004. Published to coincide with Conference on Anti-Semitism and Other Forms of Intolerance [overview] held in Cordoba Spain June 8-9 by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [advocacy website], the report also documents general disinterest on the part of the 55 OSCE member states in combatting hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation, gender, and disability. The report noted that while it ostensibly covered North America as well, the US and Canadian governments had not compiled systematic national statistics on hate crimes there and thus figures were not available. PressEsc has more.