Select a region
A politician, an equality campaigner, a child care worker and two faith leaders are sharing their experiences of hate crime today in order to stamp out the “insidious” behaviour.
It comes as part of the #StopHateJersey campaign launched by Police to raise awareness and understanding of what hate crime is, and how to report it.
Running until 28 June, the campaign will see Jersey victims and community leaders talk about how either they, or those they represent, have been affected.
Pictured: Police say hate crime is significantly underreported.
Among those fronting the campaign is Kazakhstan-born politician Deputy Inna Gardiner, who sparked a racism investigation earlier this year after presenting Police with online comments made about her during the February by-election in which she won her States Assembly seat.
Joining her in this most recent campaign will be surgeon and leader of the island’s Muslim community Dr Sarfraz Jamali, President of the Jersey Jewish Congregation Stephen Regal, LGBTQ+ campaigner Vic Tanner-Davy, and child care officer Aliga Martin.
Police say the extent of hate crime in Jersey is not understood as its believed to be significantly under-reported.
Acting Inspector Manny De Freitas from States of Jersey Police, commented: “In launching this campaign, we want to encourage victims in Jersey to come forward to report incidents of hate crime. Only by reporting it, and perpetrators being brought to justice, can we stop it from occurring.”
Pictured: The leader of Jersey's Muslim community and the President of the Jewish Congregation feature in the campaign.
"The occurrence of hate crime in all its manifestations, including via social media, is something we should be aware of," added Jim Hopley, Chairman of the Community Advisory Group.
"When suffered or witnessed we can, and should, do something about it in the certain knowledge that wherever possible action will be taken to stamp this insidious crime out."
The campaign, which will pick up again on Hate Crime Awareness Week in October, comes just days after a young man spoke out on social media about homophobic cyberbullying.
Video: One of the video clips created for the campaign.
Hate crimes are acts of violence and hostility directed at a group or individual based on their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity.
It can take many forms, including: offensive graffiti, physical attacks, abusive remarks online or offline, intimidation or harassment, vandalism, and theft.
Hate crimes can physically and psychologically affect victims, sparking anxiety, depression and even fear of leaving the house.
Pictured: Both the Police and the courts treat hate crime very seriously.
As hate crime targets a person because of who they are, the impact has been known to be significantly more traumatic than a similar crime without the hate motivation; a person targeted for being themselves cannot change to prevent further attacks.
Malice and ill will shown to a single individual can also have an effect on their whole community, who may fear their safety as a result.
Specific hate crime legislation is currently under development by the government, so at the moment, the Police use a range of laws to prosecute perpetrators of hate crime.
They have also developed a hate crime policy, which places an increased emphasis on all crimes reported, with a dedicated supervisor looking after such incidents and "fast-tracked" prosecution. Courts are also able to impose harsher sentences than they would for similar crimes with no 'hate' motive.
By reporting hate crimes, islanders may be able to stop it from happening to others.
Pictured: Hate crime can be reported over the phone, in person or online.
Reports also help the Police better understand the full extent of hate crime in order that they can allocate enough resources to tackling it.
Victims of hate crime can also receive support by contacting trained staff at Victim Support Jersey (01534 440496).
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.