National Hate Crime Awareness Week, running from Saturday 10 to Saturday 17 October, is an opportunity to come together and reaffirm our commitment to creating strong communities where everyone feels safe.
Across Devon, people from many different backgrounds live, work and contribute to our communities, and this week encourages us all to take a stand against prejudice, discrimination and hate in all its forms.
Devon County Council Vice Chair, Councillor Syed Jusef, shares his message of support for the week:
As Vice Chair of Devon County Council, I am proud to support National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
Devon is home to people from many different backgrounds, and everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and welcome in our communities. Hate crime can have a serious impact on individuals, families and the wider community, and we all have a responsibility to challenge hatred and discrimination wherever we see it.
By working together, supporting one another and treating everyone with kindness and respect, we can continue to build stronger communities across Devon and help make the UK an even more welcoming, united and inclusive place for everyone.
I would encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses hate crime to report it and seek support. No one should feel that they have to face hate or discrimination alone.
During National Hate Crime Awareness Week, and throughout the year, we should all stand together and make it clear that hate has no place in our communities.
This awareness week serves as an important reminder that tackling hate is everyone’s responsibility. By speaking up, supporting those affected and promoting understanding and inclusion, we can help create communities where everyone can thrive.
If you experience or witness hate, violence or aggression, it’s important that you speak up. You can visit the national hate crime awareness week website for the ways you can report a hate crime: Report Hate Crime
Together, we can send a clear message that hate has no place in Devon, not just during this awareness week, but every day of the year.