A local charity has won the Tower Hamlets competition for raising awareness against hate crimes after acquiring the largest number of personal pledges against hate within a week.
The Ashaadibi Education & Cultural Centre, which is based in Whitechapel, secured pledges from 200 people after hosting a series of hate crime awareness events to receive their award on March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The charity’s aim is to help children, young people and ethnic minorities with issues such as prevention or relief from poverty and human rights by providing buildings and facilities, services and information through hosting events.
The annual competition runs during National Hate Crime Awareness Week between 9 – 16 October to raise signatures in the borough from both individuals and organisations to act against hate crime.
“We’re thrilled to have been announced winners of the council’s No Place for Hate pledge competition,” said Sahra Mire, Director at Ashaadibi.
“We do not tolerate hate crime or hate speech and we’re passionate about raising awareness and encouraging everyone to get involved. Together we can send a clear message that hate crime is not tolerated in Tower Hamlets.”
Personal pledges
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs said: “I want to congratulate Ashaadibi Education & Cultural Centre for winning our annual No Place for Hate pledge competition. The work they have done to raise awareness and encourage action against hate crime sets an example for us all.
“I’d encourage everyone to sign our No Place for Hate pledge so we can be unified in our solidarity against hate crime.”
In total Tower Hamlets Council has received over 5,000 individual and 200 organisational pledges as a result of the No Place For Hate competition. The borough itself has also received an award for work against hate crime from HEAR, a network of London equality and human rights organisations.
HEAR’s #EndHateTogether award celebrates innovative and cutting edge work in challenging hate crime, pan-equality and cross-sector.
The personal pledges can be found on Tower Hamlets Council’s website, where the names of each signee in support of the campaign are published if permission is given.
Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Sirajul Islam, said: “We take hate crime seriously and work alongside our partners to increase awareness of what a hate crime is, make sure people know how they can report a crime, and identify perpetrators. “In Tower Hamlets, we believe that it is everyone’s job to stand up to hate crime and the ways it can present itself. Well done to everyone at the Ashaadibi Education & Cultural Centre for all their hard work in this area.”
More information on hate crime within the borough can be found at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/hatecrime
