Together we can beat hate
GROUPS TAKE PART IN WEEK OF ACTION TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST INTOLERANCE AND PROMOTE RESPECT FOR ALL
PEOPLE across Greater Manchester came together last week to take a stand against hate crime as part of seven days of action to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and promote tolerance and respect.
The sixth annual Hate Crime Awareness Week – which ran from February 5 - 11 – was supported by local authorities and Greater Manchester Police, as well as other partner and voluntary agencies and communities.
The week kicked off with a launch event at Manchester College’s Openshaw Campus.
There was a packed programme of events that aimed to tackle and discuss hate crime in all its forms. Among the many highlight were sessions run by Manchester Deaf Centre, raising awareness of hate crime against deaf people and how best to report it.
Manchester Cathedral held a Challenging Hate Forum, which included an exhibition by artist Stephen Raw and a poetry workshop.
First Asian Support ran an event in Cheetham Hill for black and minority ethnic (BME) women to learn about the effects of hate crime and the problems associated with social isolation.
Queer Your Mind joined a number of groups highlighting prejudice faced by members of the LGBT community when they held a drop-in session in the city centre.
The M13 Youth Project ran activities at Brunswick Church Community to educate younger people about the problems of hate crime. The Place ran an awareness day at Fallowfield Library, with a particular focus on the Bangladeshi community.
And this year, for the first time, local people were asked to sign up to the Greater Manchester Promise to never stand by if they see someone being abused or attacked because of who they are, to support them, challenge abuse – if it’s safe to do so – and report it.
Residents can still show their commitment to ending hate crime by signing the promise at www.letsendhatecrime.com/promise
Coun Nigel Murphy, Manchester council executive member for neighbourhoods, said: “We should rightly be proud of how people in Manchester, and the wider region, came together to take a stand against hate crime.
“It is vital, especially in the current climate, that we all speak with one voice to decry all forms of prejudice, intolerance and hostility wherever we see it.
“If you’ve not already signed the Greater Manchester Promise, please take a few minutes to read it.
“It is Manchester’s welcoming nature and its diverse communities that make it a truly global city and we must denounce the small minority who fail to understand that fact.”