Funding boost of £1.5 million for charities fighting hate crime

More than £1.5 million in additional funding will be poured into charities such as the Anne Frank Trust to tackle prejudice and intolerance.

The funding boost was announced on Tuesday as part of the Government’s updated National Hate Crime Plan, which focused efforts on prevention and offered another £800,000 to secure Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu places of worship.

Synagogues already benefit from a £13.4 million security fund for Jewish buildings, administered annually by the Community Security Trust (CST), which was recognised in the action plan, alongside initiatives such as Streetwise and Stand Up!

The Home Office said a new public awareness campaign will launch this autumn “designed to educate on what hate crime is” and the Law Commission will launch an inquiry to see whether the UK’s laws in this area are up to date.

“Hate crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity, tolerance and mutual respect, and I am committed to stamping this sickening behaviour out,” said Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

“Our refreshed plan sets out how we will tackle the root causes of prejudice and racism, support hate crime victims and ensure offenders face the full force of the law.”

In 2017-18 there were more than 94,000 hate crime offences recorded by the 44 police forces in England and Wales, a 17 percent increase on the year before.

More than three quarters of these crimes have race as a motivating factor, and the Government said “Muslim adults were more likely to be a victim of racially motivated hate crime than other adults”.

However, the Home Office report also said police recorded crime data “have been heavily affected by improvements in crime recording by the police over recent years, so data from the police are not suitable for longer-term trends in hate crime.”

A CST spokesman said: “We are pleased that the plan recognises much of the work of CST, Streetwise and Stand Up! We will continue to work with Government and other partners to try to reduce hate crime and the damaging impact it has on communities.”

The Home Office said it would also be taking forward its LGBT Action Plan, launched this summer. This follows the publication of a ground-breaking guide from the Chief Rabbi last month, in which he urged all Jewish schools to tackle prejudice and bullying aimed at Jewish students based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.

Tim Robertson, Chief Executive of The Anne Frank Trust UK said: “We are passionately committed to working towards the day when our society is safe from prejudice and discrimination. With the sad news today that the latest hate crime figures have risen again, we are extremely grateful to be receiving this funding from the Government to support our vital work tackling intolerant attitudes and behaviours. The inspiring young people with whom we work are driving a positive narrative for the future, continuing Anne Frank’s legacy and her courageous message of equality and tolerance for all.”