Why should you be attacked for being yourself?
The shocking surge in hate crime in the UK came under the spotlight last week when footage emerged of a Ryanair passenger launching a vile racist attack on an elderly woman. Delise Gayle, 77, was branded ***** an “ugly black b d” on a flight from Barcelona to London Stansted. And as the tirade continued, it was Delise who was removed from her seat, rather than the aggressive passenger. Now, Barcelona City Council has said it will report the incident as a possible hate crime. It comes as new statistics show hate crimes – which are committed on the basis of someone’s religion, disability, race or ethnicity, sexual orientation or transgender identity – are soaring in the UK, with one happening every five minutes. Police logged a record 94,098 offences last year, a rise of 17 per cent. Charities such as Stop Hate UK are aiming to raise awareness of these incidents. Rose Simkins, chief executive of Stop Hate UK, says, “The effects of being the target or victim of a hate crime are far-reaching and can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, and it is still largely unreported. We need to continue our work to ensure that people feel confident in reporting and that their experiences will be taken seriously.”
Closer talks to Rory Mcguire, who campaigns for charity Changing Faces. This year, he won Young Upstander Of The Year at the NO2H8 Crime Awards…