This week (14-21 October) is National Hate Crime Awareness Week. The aim of the campaign is to:
- raise hate crime awareness
- improve operational response to hate crime
- prevent hate crime
- empower communities affected by hate crime
At NCL ICB, we celebrate our diverse communities and we want our boroughs to be welcoming and safe places for all. We are proud to support National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2023, which this year highlights faith-based hate crime. Against a backdrop of increasing hate crimes nationally, both since the escalation of conflict in Israel and Gaza, and in recent years against the LGBTQI+ community, it is more important than ever to be clear that there is no place for hate in north London.
Speaking about the campaign, Dr Josephine Sauvage, Chief Medical Officer at NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board said, “In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week we urge anyone witnessing hate crimes and incidents to report them. Hate crimes hurt; they can be confusing and frightening. By reporting them, you may be able to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else. You will also help the police understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can better respond to it. Reporting makes a difference.”
About hate crime
Hate crime is defined in the UK as an offence which is motivated by hostility based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Any crime can be prosecuted as a hate crime where there is a demonstration of hostility that is based on these protected characteristics, and someone can be a victim of more than one type of hate crime. Hostility may be described as spite, aggression, antagonism and prejudice and it creates fear and humiliation.
Hate crimes can happen in person, for example physical harm or damaging property. It can also happen in writing through threats, harassment or bullying, and online, including via social media. If you think you’ve seen, heard, or experienced a hate crime then do report it to the police as soon as possible. You can call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger. If it isn’t an emergency, you can call the police on 101 or report it online at report-it.org.uk For information about hate crime in your borough and how to report it, click the links below.
- Barnet: Hate Crime Awareness Week | Barnet Mencap
- Camden: Hate crime | Camden Council
- Enfield: Community Safety Unit | Enfield Council
- Haringey: Hate Crime | Haringey Council
- Islington: Hate Crime | Islington Council