A BEREAVED mother has launched a campaign to tackle hate crime has been in Worcester.
Sue Prince organised the ‘Being you is not a crime: Hate crime is’ project and the Guildhall hosted the event on Tuesday (August 11), so residents could drop in and learn more about how to report hate crime and the support that is available for the victims.
Sue’s daughter, Gemma Hayter, was murdered in a hate crime in 2010, she spoke at the event about her family’s experiences and said she hoped the campaign would help others.
She added: “Unfortunately I cannot change any of what happened. I wish I could; however, I can stand here today and tell you about this and ask that you support this campaign to stop hate crime.
“Gemma was different, she had learning disabilities, she looked different. Several times when she was growing up comments would be made to her, even when she was with me; why be nasty to someone just because they are different?”
“We have to stamp this crime out, make people aware that they are not going to get away with harassing innocent people. It is not a crime to be different.”
The Mayor of Worcester, Coun Roger Knight, attended the event to show his support, he said: “For many people hate crime may have become a part of their daily lives, they may not even recognise that they are a victim of hate crime. The more we talk about it, the more people see that action is being taken to tackle offenders and the more they see that support is available for victims, the more comfortable they are going to feel in reporting it.”
Chief Inspector Rebecca Love said she was very pleased with the number of people who went to the event and also thanked Sue for starting the campaign.
Several organisations took part, including, Victim Support, the Community Safety Partnership, Citizens’ Advice Bureau, North Worcestershire Hate Incident Partnership, the Gender Trust, the Worcester LGBT Forum, Our Way and Speak Easy Now.
