Theresa May backs campaign to reduce hate crime

Prime Minister Theresa May has lent her weight to a campaign aimed at reducing hate crime in the UK, which has been backed by the Jewish community.

The #BetterThanThat initiative, which has cross-party political support and endorsements from sports personalities as well as from Muslim and Black groups, was initiated by the Polish Cultural Institute.

Poles living in Britain were on the receiving end of a popular backlash earlier this year, with attacks on people and buildings, as politicians campaigning for Brexit stoked fears of uncontrolled immigration into the UK. The Home Office subsequently reported a 41 percent rise in hate crimes in July.

Jewish communal bodies supporting the #BetterThanThat campaign this week included the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Union of Jewish Students, the Jewish Labour Movement and the Community Security Trust.

May said: “Hate crime has absolutely no place in Britain and I’m delighted to see people and groups from all communities coming together to support the campaign.”

World champion boxer Carl Froch and England football international Jermain Defoe backed the bid to raise awareness and educate perpetrators of hate crime on the consequences of their actions.