Hate crime: “Don’t stand by” says council

WARRINGTON Borough Council is backing a national campaign asking  people not to stand by and tolerate hate crime.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
The theme chosen to mark this important date by the Holocaust Memorial Trust is “Don’t stand by”.
In a survey commissioned by the trust, of 2,007 people polled, 27 per cent had seen a hate crime, with 20 per cent witnessing abuse based on religion and 25 per cent on race or ethnicity. The most common form of hate crime reported was verbal abuse.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to stand up and speak out against discrimination and racism.
Warrington mayor, Cllr Geoff Settle, said: “It is a time for everyone to pause to remember the millions of people who have been murdered, or whose lives have been changed beyond recognition, during the Holocaust and in subsequent genocides.
“But this should also be when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own. It’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented.”
Warrington’s multi-agency Hate Crime and Incident Partnership Board will be launching a new Hate Crime Strategy and delivery plan in February to combat hate crime in the town.