Listing hate crime victims by Toronto Police

Listing Nazis among victims of hate crimes by Toronto police seems ridiculous until you consider the purpose behind the listing.

Motive is often the defining feature of a crime and leads to the culprit: cui bono? While it would have been more politic to speak of attacks on Nazis as, say, "politically motivated crime" it would have been less accurate and would not have served the functional purpose of the police. 

As a legal concept "hate crime" may be problematic but as a forensic tool it can be very helpful indeed. We shouldn't be quick to criticise police for using that tool.