There’s no piety in combating racism

We’d like to thank Harry Bell for giving us the opportunity to make clear that some of the people of Canterbury and district take racism seriously (Tolerant Society’s Long List Of What’s Not Tolerable, Harry Bell, Kentish Gazette, July 28).

In the context of a 20% increase in reported racist incidents in the four weeks around the referendum, the Hope Not Hate charity is organising events around the country with the theme #moreincommon, and we’ll be organising one of those events at Westgate Hall on September 4.

Far from this being a mere condescending “gesture” as Harry describes the resolution to council, the aim of the event is to involve as much of our community as we can, in a specifically non-political context, to develop practical actions by community groups and those they represent to combat racism and xenophobia, whoever it is aimed at.

There’s no piety in this, no intolerance and no constraints on free speech.

But we do want to give support to those in our district who, often wrongly, are perceived as immigrants or as a minority and in recent weeks have been subject not only to criminal racist abuse but also to a constant stream of low-level hostile comments. To be on the receiving end of that behaviour is demeaning, worrying and unwelcoming and has no place in British society.

So we hope, through solutions developed with the community, we can educate people about why racism is wrong, communicate the positive aspects of a multicultural society and work towards recapturing the tolerance and openmindedness that typifies modern Britain. Dave Wilson and Jo-anne Skelton Stodmarsh Road, Canterbury This robin was collecting food for its young and was caught on camera by Annette Dowler of Canterbury Road, Wingham.