Rise in Bristol hate crime blamed on racist rhetoric

The Bristol Post this week carried a story showing that race hate crimes are on the increase in the city, based on figures supplied by the local police.

Alex Raikes, strategic director for Stand Against Racism and Inequality (SARI), part of the Bristol Hate Crime Service, said:

Our case notes are telling us people are facing more hostility, and there are a few reasons for that."

Some of it, she said, is down to xenophobic stories in the media, and terms used by politicians. Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised for using the word 'swarm' when referring to migrants in Calais trying to reach Britain, as was Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond who described them as ‘marauding’.

Others who have been critical of such language include the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE). Two hundred members, including 20 rabbis, signed a letter calling on the Prime Minister to be more sympathetic to migrants attempting to reach this country, pointing out that refugees were usually seeking a safer society, not attracted by benefits.

Part of the letter read:

Many in the Jewish community are appalled by the UK’s response to the ongoing situation in Calais. Our experience as refugees is not so distant that we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be demonised for seeking safety.”

Dr Edie Friedman, executive director of JCORE, said:

The Jewish refugee experience is still a vivid memory. The Government’s failure to even consider helping those fleeing conflict and persecution today shames us as a nation.”

Paul Hensby