Calls to make York an anti-racist city after a huge increase in race-related hate crime
York and North Yorkshire have seen a 239% increase in race-related hate crime in less than a decade.
Recorded incidents have risen from 152 to 515 since 2012. And this has prompted calls to make York an anti-racist and inclusive city.
According to a motion put to this week’s full meeting of City of York Council by Labour group leader:
- race-related hate crimes tend to account for around 60% to 80% of all local hate crimes each year
- marginalised ethnic groups continue to be under-represented in local governance structures
- despite the efforts of many agencies, racism remains a problem in York.
The motion calls on the council “to aspire to make York an Anti-Racist and Inclusive City”, and calls on the executive to set up “an independent, ethnically diverse and intersectional working group, to include people with lived experiences”.
This will develop a long-term anti-racism and inclusion strategy that will
- tackle institutional racism wherever it exists in all public bodies in our city
- encourage the participation of marginalised ethnic groups in all aspects of civic and city life
- ensure equal access for those same groups to health (including mental health) and social service
- ensure that the narratives and visibility of York’s history are acknowledged and that citizens from marginalised ethnic groups are promoted and celebrated for what they have to offer.
Last year, people of all ages and backgrounds came together in York for a series of Black Lives Matter and anti-racism events.
And there was widespread revulsion after racist hate mail was sent to a number of residents.
