18
May
2021
|
16:21
Europe/London

Response to Finchley Road antisemitic hate speech incident

Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council, Councillor Abdul Hai, Cabinet Member for Young People, Equalities and Cohesion and Co-Chair of the Camden Faith Forum and Raj Kohli, Borough Commander Camden and Islington BCU have released a joint statement following the appalling incident of antisemitic hate speech over the weekend in Finchley Road in Camden.

"As the Leader, Cabinet Member for Equalities and Cohesion and Co-Chair of the Camden Faith Forum, and BCU Commander for Camden and Islington, we want to stand together and provide you with our support. We are clear that the targeting of citizens in Camden for violence or discrimination because of their faith is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"We are grateful that the perpetrators were quickly identified and charged, but recognise the concern that an incident of this nature will cause for Camden’s Jewish citizens and communities. We want to assure you that Camden is no place for hate, and we will strongly challenge any antisemitic hate speech in our communities, and work closely with the Police to support action to keep Camden’s Jewish communities safe. We will work together to hold those to account who promote or use hate speech to intimidate Camden’s diverse communities. 

"We recognise that there will be immediate concerns about safety amongst the Jewish community, and we understand that the Police are providing additional resources and patrols. We would urge you to report any concerns or anxieties to the Police, and we are keen to liaise across the Council and the Police to provide ongoing support and reassurance to the Jewish community in Camden. We will be looking to conduct a walkabout together in the coming weeks - we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you - and we will also be seeking to host a roundtable with Jewish faith and community organisations to discuss community safety and cohesion.

"We look forward to continuing to work together with Camden’s Jewish communities as an integral and valued part of our diverse Borough."

Recognising and reporting a hate crime

If you see or experience any incident that is perceived by the victim or any other person to be racist, homophobic, transphobic, or due to a person’s religion, belief, gender identity or disability, it may be a hate crime.

This could be verbal abuse, online abuse, threats or threatening behaviour, bullying, physical violence, robbery, or damage to property, and it’s important you report it.

You don’t need to know or make the decision as to whether the act you see or experience is a criminal offence or not – you can just report it to the police or to other organisations and they will investigate and determine that.

You will also help us and the Police to understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so we can respond to it better.

  • In an emergency you should call 999 and follow the ‘run, hide, tell’ advice.
  • If the incident or crime isn’t an emergency, call 101 or contact your local neighbourhood police, for example by visiting your local station.
  • You can also report hate crime online via report-it.org.uk. If you are more comfortable reporting to a community organisation, you can report to one of our partners.
  • You can report a hate crime or incident to the Camden Safety Unit (CSU) - email [email protected]

For more information, visit www.camden.gov.uk/hate-crime