Friday 23-10-2020 - 09:53

Hate crime might seem like a strong term, but it happens in places familiar to us, as well as to people familiar to us. Actions that might start off as what could be seen as a joke, can easily escalate from banter, to harmful, to dangerous behaviour. Where we draw the line on such common interactions is important. Hate crime can take place in a number of spaces such as halls, online, academic spaces and social spaces such as societies. With the Black Lives Matter movement being recognised more widely we all must play our role to educate on and prevent hate crime which starts out through everyday microaggressions. 

The 10th-17th October was national Hate Crime Awareness Week. Through the grant awarded to us by Manchester City Council, Diversity & Inclusion Ambassadors and a team of Marketing and Communications student staff in the Students’ Union put together a hate crime awareness campaign, involving the launch of our video ‘Hate Crime: It’s No Joke’. As the video shows with hate crime on the rise, it’s important for everyone to know their role in preventing it. Our second event, Hate crime: from banter to danger, educated all students on how to be an active bystander in situations where you see actions/comments that are unacceptable. There are four steps to being an active bystander which you can take today, to play your role in preventing hate crime:

1. See it: Get to know the facts on harassment, hate crime and sexual violence.

2. Know it's a problem: Think about the impact of negative attitudes and beliefs, and micro-aggressions and how they can lead to more serious acts of discrimination, hate and violence.

3. Take responsibility: Know that it’s everyone's responsibility to challenge problematic behaviour.

4. Take action: Act if they see something that doesn't feel right. 
You can report a hate crime through: https://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/ 

Taking action doesn’t need to look like wearing a cape to swoop in and also put yourself in danger. Focusing on the person who is affected, talking to them, checking they’re ok is what being an active bystander is about. We can no longer turn a blind eye to situations that might just seem a bit uncomfortable or ‘just a bit of banter’, instead support those around you, set a tone of what isn’t acceptable in your halls, societies and online.

You can read further information on your role in becoming an active bystander to prevent hate crime, through the report and support campaigns site https://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/campaigns/our-campaign

If you have been affected by hate crime and would like to speak to an advisor or report anonymously, you can do so through the Report and Support platform https://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/