Wake up call for UK government to recognise and urgently address Anti-Sikh Hate Crime
Today the Home Office has reported a 38% overall increase in reported religious hate crimes.
There has been a massive 169% increase in reported hate crimes against Sikhs.
However, over 91% of the cases reported have come from the Metropolitan Police in relation to London. This suggests a massive level of underreporting across the rest of England and Wales where over 70% of Sikhs live.
The UK Government refuse to recognise Anti-Sikh hate crimes in their own right and provide any resources to Sikh community organisations wanting to address underreporting and encourage third-party reporting.
The police and Home Office continue to keep resources themselves earmarked by government more than 5 years ago to address anti-Sikh hate. Sajid Javid as Communities Secretary made this announcement in February 2017.
Government has for decades deliberately focused on the Muslim and Jewish community. In comparison there has been a 28% increase against the Muslim community (Islamophobia) and 49% increase against Jewish community (Antisemitism).
The UK Government has thrown millions at increasing the level of reported hate crimes against the Jewish community via funding of the Community Security Trust and Tell MAMA for the Muslim community.
In more recent times the Indian Government and Hindu organisations in the UK have introduced the phrase “Hinduphobia” to raise the international profile of hate crimes directed towards the Hindu community. Today’s Home Office data with a 3% reduction of hate crimes against the Hindu community when records have been broken show “Hinduphobia” is a complete red herring.
Meanwhile, two years later the UK Government is still considering the three recommendations made by the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs. See link below:
https://www.thesikhnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/APPG-Anti-Sikh-Hate-Crime-Report-2020.pdf APPG for British Sikhs - The Sikh Network APPG for British Sikhs – Report into Anti-Sikh hate crimes 1 Foreword 19 years ago, my brother Balbir Singh Sodhi was the first person to be murdered in a hate crime in the wake of the www.thesikhnetwork.com
In April 2022 Keir Starmer, the Labour Leader in a video message promised a Labour Government would recognise Anti-Sikh hate crimes alongside Islamophobia and Antisemitism.
ENDS