Thursday 13-10-2016 - 11:42

Good day all!

Well the semester is truly under way and everyone must be busy adjusting to their new timetables and expectations for the year. It is the same here for the officers. October for us (especially an all new team) means a month of campaigns such as Black History Month and promoting mental health awareness. So we (especially Yasmin) are out and about trying to organise events to raise awareness and get students involved in these campaigns.

In the hustle and bustle of October, we were made aware by our Police Liaison Officer that this week was also the National Hate Crime Awareness Week. Hate crime is a crime motivated by racial, sexual or other prejudice which may typically involve violence[1]. The troubling statistic is that in the three months following Brexit, hate crimes against the LGBT community have more than doubled as well as hate crimes based on religious or racial prejudices[2]. Now while Galop has recognised that the UK’s hate crime law is one of the best in the world, there is still work to be done and it starts with us.

To those that are interested, go out and have a look at our hate crime laws here in the UK. There is a disparity between the sentencing of someone who has committed a hate crime towards someone within the disability or LGBT community as compared to hate crimes towards a particular religion or race and this is something that needs to change quick before there is a notion that there is a hierarchy of hate crime in the justice system.

But enough of morbid talk. We here at the Guild have long taken a stand against hate crime. We do not and will not condone such actions whether it is directed or made by our members, because we are committed to the values of the Guild and what it stands for. On campus we have seen countless actions that show our students stand united against hate crime and that is something I personally am extremely proud of. So we need to continue this good work and with your help, we can continue to change attitudes and build a better future for us all.