Over 3,000 incidents of racial hatred were reported to Greater Manchester Police last year, MM can reveal.
The shocking statistics come as a result of a Freedom of Information request, with 3,203 allegations of racial hatred across the ten boroughs of Manchester.
The figures refer to a variety of incidents, such as assault, possession and dissemination of inflammatory material and use of racist language.
At a time when notions of diversity and multiculturalism are increasingly being questioned and scrutinised, this report strikes a deadening blow to Manchester’s reputation for cultural acceptance.
However, GMP Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan spoke to MM in the light of these findings and urged the people of Manchester not to be disheartened.
“Greater Manchester has a long and proud tradition of celebrating diversity and is lucky to have a vibrant and multi-cultural population,” he said.
“Together with our partners we are encouraging the communities of Greater Manchester to stand up to hate crime.”
Along with the increasing number of racism across the region there has been a simultaneous increase in the apparent effectiveness of GMP’s response.
Between April 2011 and March 2012 there were 2,975 allegations of racism made.
With comments such as those from the Prime Minister this week, referring to individuals in Calais as a ‘bunch of migrants’, some believe that we need to look closer to home to find the roots of racism.
Nahella Ashraf from Stand Up to Racism said: “These figures can probably be linked to the increasingly racist narrative coming from our mainstream politicians and press over the last few years.”
As revealed in an MM exclusive recently, there has been a doubling in the number of incidents of Islamophobia since the events of Paris last year.
GMP however, has a rather different take on the findings.
Assistant Chief Constable Shewan added: “A significant factor in this [increased incidents] is the increased awareness of these kinds of offences.
“I urge the communities within Greater Manchester to stand together as one and show a united front against hate crime.
“We will absolutely not tolerate any on the streets of our city.”
Anyone who is a victim of hate crime should call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Alternatively, report online at www.report-it.org or use the True Vision app.
Image courtesy of Alex Garland, via Flickr, with thanks
