Green Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty will join the Brighton and Hove Community Safety Forum this Saturday in speaking out against hate crime.
The Brighton and Hove Solidarity Vigil will take place at 7pm at the Old Steine fountain, to show support to those who have been affected by hate crime as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, running from 14th – 21st October. [1]
Latest community safety trends show recorded incidences of all types of hate crime are on the rise in Brighton and Hove, with 65 homophobic hate crimes recorded between April and June 2017 alone, a 32% increase in hate crimes compared to the equivalent quarter in the previous year. [2]
Figures show transphobic crimes, racially motivated and disability hate crimes have also risen, with a notable spike in racist incidents coinciding with the month following the E.U referendum vote to leave the European Union.
Green Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty will speak at Saturday’s vigil, calling for greater recognition of the impact of hate crime and greater action on perpetrators.
Councillor Mac Cafferty commented:
“This Saturday I will stand in solidarity with all those affected by hate crime. No one should fear being attacked because of their sexuality, their religion, race, disability or gender identity. Sadly the struggle to end hate crime continues: just last week a report to the Council showed that although the number of racist, religiously motivated hate crimes and hate crimes against LGBT people is on the increase, the percentage solved by the police has dropped. There was only one finalised homophobic case to date.
“Our city must make our many diverse communities feel safe and welcome. The nature of crime is also changing – and we have to work to erase it on our streets and online. It has never been more important that we work together to stamp out hatred, and Greens will continue to raise awareness and call for serious action, better sentencing and support for people affected. If we are to support our diverse communities in the most effective ways and take the strongest stance against hate crimes, Government has to resource hate crime prevention and locally we repeat our call to Sussex Police to effectively prosecute hate crime offenders.”
NOTES
[1] National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2017 will take place from 14th to 21st October 2017– #NHCAW
The Brighton & Hove Solidarity Vigil, organised by the Brighton & Hove Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF), will be held on Saturday October 14th 2017 near the Old Steine fountain at 7pm.
The first International Day of Hope and Remembrance was launched at the London Vigil against Hate Crime which took place on the 30th October 2009 after the death of Ian Baynham who was homophobically abused and beaten in London.
Over the past seven years the third Saturday of October has been established as a key date for organising events in support and solidarity to those who have been affected by Hate Crime.
[2] Crime trends: Community Safety and Crime Report published 9th October 2017 includes latest statistics.
The number of homophobic hate crimes has increased over the equivalent quarter of the previous year: 49 recorded in April-June 2016 to 65 recorded April-June 2017.
3.7: “The number of police-recorded racist/religiously and LGBT motivated hate crimes and incidents continue to show an increasing trend, while the percentage solved by the police drops. The conviction rate for racist and religiously motivated crimes at court in the first quarter was good (93%; 25 convictions out of 27 finalised cases), but there was only one finalised homophobic case to date.”