By: JurmoloyaRava
GRASSROOTS organisations will work together under a new group to combat hate crime, a Home Office minister said on Tuesday (17).
The Challenging Hate Crime Support Group will bring together leading charities and experts who will help grassroots organisations prevent hate crimes, minister for faith, Lord Bourne, said.
“Hate crime has no place whatsoever in British society. All communities must be able to live their lives free from fear of verbal or physical attack,” the minister said. “Groups such as The Challenging Hate Crime Support Group, the government’s Hate Crime Action Plan and initiatives such as Hate Crime Awareness Week demonstrate how government, communities and local authorities are united in their determination to end hate crime.
Chair of the new support group, Richard Benson OBE, said it will “provide practical support to all those that work tirelessly to protect victims of hate crimes. “Hatred and extremism cannot be tackled alone. Only through joint action, partnerships and desire to work together can we counter hate crime in our society.”
Lord Bourne visited the memorial to murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence in Eltham along with Stephen’s father, Neville Lawrence.
Stephen was killed in a racially motivated attack in 1993 and the subsequ-ent enquiry into the handling of his case led to changes in the prosecution of the perpetrators of hate crimes.
This year, the government has supported National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW) with a £25,000 grant for its online campaign. It encourages public figures to take a photo of themselves at the location of a hate crime and upload it to social media alongside the hashtag #NHCAW.
Lord Bourne and Neville Lawrence (right) supported the online campaign by uploading a photo to social media of them commemorating Stephen at the site of his murder.
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