Stronger protections from hate crime
Experiences of hate crime across the UK are far more prevalent than official figures suggest.
The rise in hate affects people of many different backgrounds - Muslims, Jews, people of colour, LGBTQ+ people, women and disabled people - and has been shown to lead to an erosion of trust in the police and other institutions, who are seen to often fail to support victims adequately.
These findings are backed up by one of the largest studies to have been conducted on hate crime: it's clear that Parliament, the media, civil society and public authorities all need to step up by tackling the causes of hate and improving the protections available to those affected.
Specifically, we call for the introduction of intersectional reporting, for misogyny to be made a hate crime as well as for public transport providers, universities and Local Authorities to take on more responsibility for reporting and supporting victims.
Add your name and we will deliver our petition to the Leaders of the three main political parties: Boris Johnson (Conservatives), Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) and Jo Swinson (LibDems).
Message for Main Party Leaders
When you sign the petition this message will be sent to Main Party Leaders.
Subject: Step up to rise in hate
Dear Mr Boris Johnson, Mr Jeremy Corbyn and Mrs Jo Swinson,
as leaders of the main UK political parties you are in a unique position to step up Parliament's response to the rise in hate crime and related erosion in trust in our public institutions, such as the police and transport providers.
Early findings from one of the largest research studies conducted on hate crime in the UK, commissioned by community organising charity Citizens UK, show that hate crime is far more prevalent than official reporting figures suggest, with a wide range of groups affected - Muslims, Jews, people of colour, disabled people, women and LGBTQ+ people in particular. Worryingly it is those who are most frequently affected by hate crime who are more likely to lack trust in the ability of institutions such as the police or transport providers to support them and hold perpetrators to account.
We urge you to make tackling hate crime a high priority and in 2020 ensure the work of the ongoing independent review into Hate Crime by the Law Commission is prioritised and findings are implemented. We also encourage you to look at other measures to ensure all public bodies, as well as companies like transport providers, do their bit to prevent and reduce hate crime. We ask you to meet a group of Citizens UK’s faith and civil society organisations behind this call to discuss this at your earliest convenience.
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