Hate Crime Awareness Week 2021

This year Hate Crime Awareness Week (HCAW) is 9 to 16 October. The week is all about raising awareness of hate crime and its effects, as well as learning about what we can do about it if we see or experience any instances of hate crime ourselves!

So, this year we’re doing what we can to do our bit to give this sort of advice and guidance.

• What is a hate crime?

  A crime that is motivated by prejudice against a person because of their:

  • ethnicity or race
  • disability, including mental health
  • sexual orientation
  • gender identity
  • religion or belief
  • age
  • gender
  • marital or pregnancy status

  Hate crime can be:

  • a physical attack, like assault or spitting
  • name calling, verbal abuse or rude gestures
  • threats, harassment or intimidation
  • humiliation or degradation
  • vandalism or criminal damage to your property
  • abusive letters, phone calls, leaflets, posters, graffiti, emails, social media, texts or phone calls

On Wednesday 13 October we’ll be in Weston-super-Mare with North Somerset Council and the Police on the MAVIS bus. We’ll be in the town centre in the morning, and in the afternoon, we’ll be heading to Morrisons by Worle. If you see us out and about, come and say ‘Hi’!

If you don’t have chance to catch us on Wednesday, you can also pop into one of our ‘hubs’ around North Somerset being ran by our partners at North Somerset Council! Here you can have a chat and find out more information about hate crimes and how to deal with them. The hubs are being ran al week and you can find them in:

• Weston Super Mare – Town Hall
• Weston Super Mare – Healthy Living Centre
• Worle – The Campus
• Portishead Library
• Clevedon Library
• Nailsea Library

If you experience or see a hate crime, we’re here to help. Contact us, and one of our dedicated Anti-Social Behaviour Advisors will be there to listen and we can explain the next steps.

But remember, if you’re in immediate danger, always call 999 first.