Coexistence Trust to discuss hate crime and institutional discrimination

The Coexistence Trust will be hosting a discussion panel on the issues of hate crimes and institutional discrimination.

The event, titled “Hate crime and institutional discrimination: what’s changed?” takes place on Thursday 16th February at the University of London at 6pm (full details below) and will feature speakers such as Dr Richard Stone OBE, a panel member on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Zareena Mustafa from the Newham Monitoring Project, Dr Edie Freidman, Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality and Rokhsana Fiaz, Executive Director of the Coexistence Trust, who will be chairing the discussion.

The Coexistence Trust builds networks of trust and understanding between Muslim and Jewish students on UK campuses. The event is the first discussion panel of the Trust’s upcoming Campus FaithHub Spring Tour, which puts a spotlight on the challenges and issues concerning all students on campus, focusing on the themes of 'good campus relations' and 'cultural understanding'.

The event comes in light of the recent prison sentences given to the murderers of Stephen Lawrence and the widely discussed issue of institutional discrimination in the UK. There will be a discussion on a number of issues and concerns including the negative portrayal of minorities in the media, the number of Black people being stopped and searched by the police, the under-representation of BME students at Oxford and Cambridge amongst others.

The Campus FaithHub 'Be Heard, Be Understood' Tour is bringing leading commentators, politicians and thinkers to UK campuses. The Tour will challenge issues in contemporary British society, with the mixed aims of allowing students to be informed, have their views challenged and to provide a platform for sharing their views on issues from their vantage point.

Further details of the event can be found on the event’s facebook page

‘Hate crime and institutional discrimination: what’s changed?’ will take place at 6pm on Thursday 16th February 2012 at Bloomsbury Suite, Second floor, University of London Union, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY