This year's theme for National Hate Crime Awareness week will be focusing on hate crimes against East Asians and Southeast Asians.

Since COVID-19, there has been a steep rise in hate crime against East and Southeast Asians according to data from the Metropolitan Police. The shocking data shows crimes based on race, specifically East and Southeast Asian is 62% higher than before the pandemic.

Online, there has been a 900% national increase of hate speech on Twitter and 200% increase on traffic to hate sites and specific posts.

Leader of the Council, Anthony Okereke said: “We want to make it clear to everyone in the borough that, there is no place for hate crimes in our community. We are proud to be a rich and diverse borough that is full of people from different cultures and all walks of life, and it is important that each and every person feels safe living here”

As a Council, we want to tackle and stop the rise in hate crimes, not only against our East and Southeast Asian communities but against all cultures and communities. The Council is committed to promoting diversity and sustaining an environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

We’re holding an event in Woolwich Centre Library on Tuesday 18 October from 11am to 4pm where you can find resources and help show your support for National Hate Crime Awareness Week. There will be lots of free materials such as leaflets, t-shirts, badges, and more.

The Council has commissioned services like the Greenwich Inclusion Project (GrIP), METRO, METRO/GAD and Stop Hate UK to provide free support and advice for people who have experienced a hate crime. They work with victims until they are safe and train professionals to respond effectively to reports of hate crime and raise awareness in the borough’s schools, colleges, youth, and community groups.

A spokesperson said, “Around 5% of Greenwich's population are from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds, but they are severely underrepresented in the local crime statistics. We encourage all those with information about hate crimes in our community to speak up and report it to the police.”  

Councillor Ann-Marie Cousins said:  “We encourage everyone to stand up and speak out against all forms hate crimes and anyone that has seen and experienced this in our borough to report it. The police take hate crime very seriously and you can report a non-emergency to them by calling 101 or visiting a police station. In an emergency always call the police on 999.”

If you have experienced a hate crime or if you have seen a hate crime happen, there lots of support and help available, head to www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/hatecrime.