Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, has joined members of the Roma community and partner organisations in pledging ‘no hate in Suffolk’ at a conference aimed at tackling prejudice and hate crime.
Speaking at the Standing Together Against Hate event, organised by Union Romani Voice in Ipswich, the Commissioner reiterated his commitment to ensuring Suffolk is a county where everyone feels safe and valued.
Union Romani Voice is a Roma-led charity based in Ipswich that supports European citizens, Romanian nationals and Roma communities facing poverty, discrimination, social exclusion and human rights violations.
Addressing delegates, Mr Passmore stressed that hate crime has no place in Suffolk and said a single incident is one too many.
He said: “The level of recorded hate crime over the past year has dropped by around 10 per cent.
“However, there are still around 700 recorded hate crimes each year and that, in my view, is completely unacceptable.
“Unfortunately, within those figures, there has been a slight increase in the level of racial abuse and hate crime.
“The prejudice, because of the appearance of people and the colour of their skin, is never acceptable in any circumstance.
“There is far more that unites us than divides us.
“Many people who come from other countries contribute economically - they run their own businesses and they enhance economic growth, which is important for all of us.
“One of the challenges we have with hate crime is under-reporting so I would encourage any victim to report it to the police or another appropriate agency.”
The conference brought together around 60 delegates from community groups and local organisations, who signed a ‘No Hate in Suffolk’ charter which demonstrated their commitment to challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion across the county.
Chief Executive of Union Romani Voice, Simona Lazar, said: “Hate is not welcome in Ipswich and Suffolk.
“We must come together as a community.
“This is about human rights and love - the reason why we are here is for us to fight against hate.
“Members of the community and local leaders have all come together to pledge ‘No Hate in Suffolk’.”
The event featured a series of presentations and discussions focused on tackling discrimination and improving community cohesion.
Topics included how to report hate crime, the experiences of individuals facing discrimination when trying to access rented accommodation, and how one local high school is supporting students from more than 30 different nationalities.