THE message that there is no place for hate in Tameside has been reinforced in a creative way.
Community groups have been involved in a project which has been shared as part of Greater Manchester’s Hate Crime Awareness Week.
Since May last year, they have been making art displays and audio voice memos together with professional artists from Interference-art, and in collaboration with Tameside Council’s Community Safety and Cultural Services teams.
They were for a community-informed social media campaign and art display centred on hate crime awareness and reporting.
Among the groups involved were British Red Cross/Church of Nazarene; Hyde Bangladesh Welfare Association; Tameside LGBT Out Loud; Khush Amdid; Tameside Youth Council; Tameside Health Group; Ashton Central Mosque, and Greater Manchester Police.
Their work was shared with members of the public at Holy Trinity Community Centre in Ashton-under-Lyne on Monday (February 3) at the start of the awareness week, to highlight the ‘Too Great for Hate’ campaign.
“Community involvement is crucial to me, especially when it comes to initiatives that directly affect our lives,” said Councillor Taf Sharif, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Population Health and Equalities.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone participating in this week’s activities to raise awareness about hate crime and its profound impact on our communities.
“Promoting the ‘Too Great for Hate’ initiative is key to reducing hate crime in Tameside, and this exhibit has been a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our community while showcasing the powerful artwork created by our local groups.”
As part of Hate Crime Awareness Week, Greater Manchester Police is reminding residents that “hate incidents and hate crime will not be tolerated here”.
A key focus of the week is encouraging the public to report hate crimes, particularly through third-party reporting centres which offer a safe and confidential space for victims and witnesses without having to go directly to the police.
“People who commit hate crimes cause fear and suffering within our communities,” said Superintendent Mike Russell, GMP’s force lead for hate crime.
“Everyone has the right to live without the threat of being harmed because of their race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, values and culture.
“Greater Manchester is proud of its rich, diverse heritage and we should continue to celebrate and learn from our differences, instead of being divided by malicious behaviours and ill-conceived ideologies.
“Hate crimes can have a devastating and long-term impact on victims. It is our role as police to protect the public, keep people safe from harm and do all we can to bring criminals to justice, and we are working alongside our partners to achieve this.
“There is nothing positive about hate crime and we all have a responsibility to report related incidents when we know of them taking place.”
Hate crime victims can seek assistance and support, or report an incident, at letsendhatecrime.com
Hate crimes can also be reported directly, and anonymously, to GMP by calling 101 or online at www.gmp.police.uk/ro/report/hate-crime/triage/v1/report-hate-crime/