South Gloucestershire Council has been supporting National Hate Crime Awareness Week (12-19 October) with a series of activities and events.
The awareness week is held each year in solidarity with those affected and this year’s theme focusses on anti LGBTQ+ hate crime. To mark this and show the council’s support, the Progress Pride flag has been flying outside Badminton Road Office in Yate.
The Progress Pride flag brings together the Pride rainbow flag and the transgender flag design, highlighting inclusion and the progress made within the LGBTQ+ community.
The council has also created a video with members of Alphabets, a support group for young LGBTQ+ people in South Gloucestershire. The group is run by the Diversity Trust and meets at the Armadillo in Yate on the last Sunday of each month. Watch the video of young people explaining what a hate crime is and the impact it has on the victim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmcKSkn-9d0
In the lead up to the week, the council has been supporting South Gloucestershire Race Equality Network’s (SGREN) ‘You Are Welcome Here’ campaign. Posters and stickers are being distributed to retailers and shopping centres to display so customers know they are welcome, and the businesses stand against hate crime of any kind.
On Monday 14 October council officers joined SGREN and the commissioned charity, Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI), at Tesco Extra in Yate. They talked to residents about hate crime and provided advice on how to get help if you are a victim.
Members of the council’s community safety team have also been taking part in parkruns wearing anti-hate crime T-shirts to raise awareness. On Saturday 12 October they were joined by co-leader of South Gloucestershire Council, councillor Ian Boulton at the Pomphrey Hill parkrun, along with local neighbourhood police officers. After completing the parkrun, they handed out information detailing what a hate crime is, how to report incidents and where to get support.
Councillor Ian Boulton said: “A hate crime is any criminal offence committed against someone because of their race, religion, sexuality, disability or gender and it’s important that we highlight the support on offer for victims as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
“We are proud of the diversity across our communities which helps to make South Gloucestershire the fantastic place it is. As a council we stand together, and side-by-side with our partners, in support of victims and against hate in all its forms.”
To get help if you are a victim of a hate crime contact SARI at www.saricharity.org.uk or call 0117 942 0060.
If you experience a hate crime, reporting it helps agencies to offer more support and ensure steps are taken to bring offenders to justice. Contact the police on 999 if you are witnessing a crime in progress or if someone is in immediate danger. Call the police on 101 if it is not an immediate emergency.
For more info on hate crime visit: https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/hate-crime/
