Dozens of Greater Manchester’s faith and community leaders are standing together against hatred as they signed a new statement pledging their commitment to encouraging strong, diverse communities.
Leaders, including GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Councillor Carl Austin-Behan, Lord Mayor of Manchester, Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, Mrs Sharon Bannister, President, Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region, Mr Qadir Chohan, Chair, Manchester Council of Mosques, Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd and many others came together at Manchester Cathedral to sign the statement created as a result of a rise in hate crimes following the EU referendum result.
Greater Manchester saw a 23 per cent increase in hate crime in the week after the country chose to leave the European Union at the end of June.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “I believe in a democratic society people should be safe, both from physical harm, but also from hatred. Sadly we are seeing a significant number of people across Greater Manchester being subjected to hate incidents and hate crimes. This is totally unacceptable. This is an important step in uniting our communities and am pleased to see so many other influential people standing with us to end hate crime and discrimination.
“This statement very clearly reinforces our commitment to encouraging inclusive communities, whilst recognising the difference people bring to Greater Manchester that help make it such a wonderful place. It is also, however, a very strong message to those who go against this – there is absolutely no place for hatred or discrimination in Greater Manchester. We will do all we can to take action against anyone who commits hate crimes.”
Faith Leaders’ Secretary, Canon Steve Williams, said: “The speed with which Faith Leaders acted shows how serious we consider the situation to be. But it also shows that people in our communities want to make a positive difference – to support people who’ve suffered in this way, and to promote good-news stories of acts of kindness and inclusion that build bridges, not barriers.”
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