[JURIST] Racial animus accounted for more than half of the 7,649 hate crimes reported in the United States in 2004, a 5 percent rise from 2003, according to the FBI's annual FBI Hate Crimes Statistics report [text; press release]. Overall, the nation experienced a slight two percent increase in hate crimes in 2004. The report defines hate crimes as any crime committed based on bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. AP has more.