Police respond to hate crime

POLICE said they are treating allegations of EU referendum hate crime “extremely seriously” as their investigations continue.

It comes after Welsh remain campaigner Shazia Awan alleged she was told to “pack her bags and go home” on Twitter shortly after the UK voted for Brexit.

There has also been an upsurge in hateful racist incidents on the streets of Wales since the referendum vote.

A South Wales Police spokesman said: “South Wales Police is treating this matter extremely seriously and an investigation is continuing to trace the person responsible for posting these racially abusive comments on social media.”

Referring specifically about the incident involving Ms Awan, he added: “Support is being offered to the victim in this case and specially trained hate crime officers are continuing to work with community leaders and various partner organisations to ensure that cohesion and tolerance are upheld and promoted in our communities.”

The police spokesman added: “All forms of hate crime are totally unacceptable in any circumstances and any victim can have confidence in reporting incidents to us so they can be fully investigated and robust action taken against those responsible.”

It comes after Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones condemned the upsurge in hateful racist incidents.

Speaking on Monday, he said: “It is incumbent on all of us, no matter how we voted last week, to stand up to anybody who thinks they now have licence to abuse people of different races or nationalities.”