Any form of hate crime is never okay. We condemn unacceptable behaviour, including all forms of harassment under the Equality Act 2010 and hate crime under the law.
If you know someone who has been affected by harassment, you are not alone, support is available.
What is hate crime?
Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person’s disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity.
Examples of hate crime include, but are not limited to:
- physical assault
- verbal abuse, threats or name calling
- incitement to hatred, when someone acts in a way that is threatening and intended to stir up hated. This could be in words, pictures, videos, music and includes information on websites.
What can you do?
Talk: If someone you know has been affected, you can encourage them to seek support. Alternatively, you make an anonymous disclosure which will allow us to investigate if there are multiple instances in one area.
Find out more:
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) provides further information on unlawful harassment
Seek Support: There are a number of specialist organisations that provide specialist support, including counselling for those affected by harassment. You could encourage your colleague, friend or peer to reach out to such support.
The following support is available for people with lived experience of Hate Crimes:
Victim Support: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk
Stop Hate UK: https://www.stophateuk.org
Antony Walker Foundation: https://anthonywalkerfoundation.com/services/
Supportline: https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/hate-crime/
Equality Advisory & Support (EASS): 0808 800 0082, www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
Citizen's Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Mind’s Legal line: 0300 466 6463
Samaritans: 24-hour service for anyone experiencing feelings of distress or feeling suicidal. Phone, email, text, letter, and face to face support is available in most branches.
Call: 116 123 (free phone), email: jo@samaritans.org (24-hour response), or visit 46 Marshall Street W1F 9BF (Soho) 9am – 9pm daily, no appointment needed.
Shout Crisis Text Line: Free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis anytime. Students who are experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support can text Shout to 85258. See www.giveusashout.org for further details.
Shout Crisis Line: Shout is a free and confidential text messaging service, available 24/7 throughout the UK, for people who are struggling to cope.
NHS24 Mental Health Hub: Telephone advice and support on healthcare can be obtained from NHS24 by phoning 111. The Mental Health Hub is open 24/7.
The Listening Place: The Listening Place is open from 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week and offers face-to-face listening appointments for people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. You can self-refer online or call on 0203 9067676.
Disability Outreach Project: A specialist advocacy service that can be contacted by calling 0808 800 5792 or texting 07758 670369 . Visit their website for more information.
Mind: The Disability Unit at Mind supports the development of policies to remove inequality between disabled and non-disabled people. Visit their website for more information.
National Autistic Society: ASD Advocacy supports individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents or carers. Visit their website for more information.