LONDON (AP) — British prosecutors have promised to vigorously prosecute hate crimes committed on social media.

The new guidelines issued Monday outline a tough stance on cyber hate attacks on the basis of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity. Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions, says hate crime "has a corrosive effect on our society and that is why it is a priority area."

She says "the internet and social media in particular have provided new platforms" for bad behavior.

Community groups monitoring anti-Semitic and Islamophobic abuse have reported that a significant proportion of incidents involve the internet. There was also a surge in reports following the European Union referendum in June 2016 in which Britons chose to leave the bloc.