Hate CrimeNo Place for Hate Providers Forum 12

Hate Crime/No Place for Hate Providers Forum 12. 02. 2020 Benedicta Dikeocha Hate Crime Projects Officer LBTH

Strategic Drivers • • • THs Community Safety Partnership Plan/Priority Mayors Manifesto Hate Crime Delivery Plan 2019 -20 TH Strategic Plan Equality Duties/Anti-discrimination legislation Cross Government Home Office Hate Crime Action Plan 20162020 • Safeguarding Duty • Supporting Victims/Anti Bullying agenda • Preventing Violent Extremism/Prevent

What is Hate Crime? ‘Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s actual or perceived race/ethnicity, religion/belief, gender/gender identity, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other actual or perceived membership of an identifiable group’. Racist incidents: ‘Any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person’ (Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report) This is used to apply to other strands of hate crime Disability, Gender/Gender Identity, Religion/Belief, Age, Sexual Orientation

Forms of Hate Crime • Verbal abuse (name calling, derogatory remarks) • Physical violence (spitting, pushing, murder) • Damage to property or vehicle including vandalism offensive graffiti/stickers, arson, disability equipment • Desecration of graveyards and faith buildings • Threatening behaviour/intimidation including threatening correspondence or calls • Malicious communications emails, texts social media posts, Facebook, Twitter, cyber bullying, etc. • Malicious accusations (alleging someone is a Paedophile) • ‘Mate Hate’ befriending someone for the purpose of exploiting them.

Equality & Diversity Issues: • • • Any one can experience hate crime It cuts across all boundaries Hate crime is under reported across all strands Race hate continues to be the highest reported strand Disability & Transgender Hate Crimes are chronically underreported • Intersectionality –someone may identify with more than one protected characteristic • There is no hierarchy of hate

Impact of Hate Crime Individual • Physical injuries • Emotional impact (fear, stress, depression, suicide, shame) • Acute and long term physical and mental health for survivors • Social Isolation • Financial impact • Homelessness and poverty • Disrupted education and development of children • Heightened sense of personal danger , vulnerability, depression • Murder/Homicide Community • Feeling rage, bitterness or hatred towards people bearing the perpetrators characteristics • Community cohesion – people do not mix/feel vulnerable • Desecration of graveyards , place of worship reaction from communities • Ripple effect Retaliations – hate incidents escalate prompting community conflict, tensions, riots • If no one is brought to justice the victim & wider community can be left feeling the authorities don’t care/loss in confidence in Authorities

Ultimate Cost: Loss of Lives • Stephen Lawrence/Altab Ali • Fiona & Francesca Pilkington • Admiral Duncan Pub Bombing • Corporal Lee Rigby • Sophie Lancaster • Jo Cox MP

Some Global Events • • • Sri Lanka Church Bombings 2019 258 people were killed, at least 500 were injured Christchurch Mosque Shootings 2019, 51 killed, 49 injured USA Synagogue shootings 2018 11 killed, 7 injured Orlando Nightclub Shooting - 49 killed, 53 Istanbul Nightclub Shooting Turkey January 2017 - 39 killed 79 injured Paris Attacks 2015 - 137 deaths, 453 injuries (Charlie Hebdo 12 deaths attacks, 11 injured) • • • Brussels Bombings 2016 - 32 deaths, injuries 340 (62 critical) Westminster Attack 2017 - 6 killed, 49 injured Manchester Arena Attack 22 May 2017, 22 killed mainly children, 800+ injured London Bridge attack - 8 killed, 48 injured Peshawar School Massacre 2014 141 deaths (132 school children) between 8 and 18 years of age. Tunisia Beach Attack June 2015 38 killed, 39 injured. Hate if unchallenged destroys lives, communities, countries, economies. There are no justifications and no winners.

Pyramid of Hate 9

Support Structures/Mechanisms • • • Safeguarding Investigations Team (Police) Partnership & Prevention Hub (Police) VAWG, Domestic Abuse & Hate Crime Team Tower Hamlets No Place for Hate Forum Hate Incidents Panel Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum Victim Support Tension Monitoring Group Prevent Board LBTH Hate Crime Manual

Aims of No Place for Hate Forum • Brings agencies together to make Tower Hamlets a better place to live, work and visit by developing and promoting a coordinated response to hate crime that: • • protects and supports victims deters perpetrators raises awareness and challenges prejudice and hate and contributes to creating a safer, more cohesive community

Support and Protection Victims Communities Prevention, Awareness, Community Cohesion Perpetrators Enforcement and Intervention

Support and Protection Encouraging and enabling reporting • Range of reporting options available (online, Police, landlords, national charity lines, specialist organisations CST, Tell Mama) Victim support services • Specialist Hate Crime Worker Training and outreach • NPFH Champions Project • Training for front line professionals • Workshops with hard to reach groups

Enforcement • Investigation of reported crimes (Police Safeguarding Investigations Team) • Police sanction detection rate targets • Legislative tools • Hate Incidents Panel and civil enforcement tools • Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers and RSL policies • School based Police Officers and teachers/ Anti bullying policies and reporting mechanisms

Prevention, awareness and community cohesion No Place for Hate – – – – 10 year Campaign Clear and consistent messages of zero tolerance Contributes to “One Tower Hamlets” theme Visibility of Partnership’s commitment Local media profile Training and outreach Personal Pledge, Organisational Pledge and Champions Project – Hate Crime Events/Conferences

Prevention, awareness and community cohesion – Marking notable national hate crime events – NPFH Adult Champions – Youth Champions – Young Mayor & Youth Council – Responding to critical incidents locally (EDL/Britain First, Shariah Patrol, Gay free zone stickers)

No Place for Hate Pledge • • • Strengthens NPFH Campaign and cohesion messages Public condemnation of ALL forms of hate Venue hire condition embedded in pledge Promoting stronger partnership stand Encourage all to unite and pledge Places responsibility on all to be proactive To challenge prejudices in self & others To instil community confidence and cohesion Youth/Schools No Place for Hate Pledge

Key achievements – – – – Best practice/multiple award winning borough First to implement innovative creative projects Robust annual hate crime delivery plans Strong media profile Victim satisfaction rate – 84% Strong partnership Over 4300 pledges signed and key organisations (160) A list celebrities supporting campaign (Sir Ian Mckellen, Dame Helen Mirren, etc)

What can organisations do? • • • Robust equalities and diversity policies Create opportunities for service users to disclose hate crime Display literature Listen, be empathic, non-judgemental Encourage reporting & provide reporting options Make referrals to the Hate Incident Panel Review responses to hate crime Identify Lead Officer/Nominate Hate Crime Champion Training Challenge discriminatory behaviour if it is safe to do • Sign the NPFH Pledge & get your organisation to do so. www. towerhamlets. gov. uk/hatecrime

Challenges/Areas for improvement • Tackling fear of hate crime • Addressing public perception that hate crime is not taken seriously • Encouraging all agencies to be pro active in tackling hate • Minimising potential for one form of hate to escalate to another form of hate • Increasing enforcement and prosecution of hate crime cases • Tackling under reporting of hate crimes (disability, transgender) • Increase information sharing across all agencies • One incident undoes good work and relations

Nelson Mandella “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of their skin, or their background, or their religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” – Nelson Mandella Join our campaign to end hate crime at: www. towerhamlets. gov. uk/hatecrime

Contact Details • Benedicta Dikeocha Hate Crime Projects Officer (LBTH) • Tel: 020 7364 6105 • Benedicta. dikeocha@towerhamlets. gov. uk • General Enquiries: • Hatecrime@towerhamlets. gov. uk