The vigil will take place in Trafalgar Square tomorrow evening from 7:30pm to 9pm, with a 2 minute silence in memory of victims at 8pm.
The vigil was founded by 17-24-30 in 2009 following the homophobic murder of Ian Baynham in the square. Since then it has widened to remember/support victims of all hate crime; including disablist hate. Speakers this year include Beverley Smith from the Disability Hate Crime Network.
Disablist hate crime is on the up due in no small part to the rhetoric being peddled by the government and press in attempt to whip up support for welfare reform. People are getting called a "scrounging cunt" in the street or being followed down the road by someone shouting "fucking DLA stick" at them, making this vigil so relevant for us.
For more info see http://hatecrimevigils.wordpress.com/ or the Facebook event page.
Campaigning against the government's distressing war on disabled benefit claimants. All posts represent the opinions of their respective authors and not WtB as a whole.
Showing posts with label hate crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hate crime. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Cuts and hate crime
The IPCC report into Leicestershire police's failing to tackle the disablist hate that resulted in Fiona Pilkington killing herself and her daughter Francecca Hardwick is to be released today.
Several news sources have written about this. The Guardian have this quote from Professor Alan Roulstone from Northumbria University:
Roulstone then goes on to explain:
This article, along with all the others I've seen, acknowledge that police cuts will result in disablist hate crime not being handled appropriately, but what the articles don't mention is that the benefit cuts and surrounding rhetoric are fuelling an increase in disablist harassment.
Our own incurable hippie wrote about being followed down the street by a man shouting "fucking DLA stick" at her. Then this blogger wrote about being called a "scrounging cunt" in the street.
When it comes to hate the cuts are hitting us from every side. They're making us more likely to be subjected to harassment and it less likely for the authorities to take that persecution seriously. As for the subject of suicide, just have a flick through WtB and you'll see a significant percentage of posts have comments following them in which readers express their intention to kill themselves when they lose their benefits.
Several news sources have written about this. The Guardian have this quote from Professor Alan Roulstone from Northumbria University:
"There's a whole series of problems stacking up. There will be other Pilkingtons, sadly."
Roulstone then goes on to explain:
"With the current cuts, hate crime is slipping down the agenda. It wouldn't be right to name police forces, but certainly more than one force has said to me they don't have the money for training updates. Police officers understanding disability is a challenge, and very few forces manage to roll out training which makes sense to officers at the ground level."
This article, along with all the others I've seen, acknowledge that police cuts will result in disablist hate crime not being handled appropriately, but what the articles don't mention is that the benefit cuts and surrounding rhetoric are fuelling an increase in disablist harassment.
Our own incurable hippie wrote about being followed down the street by a man shouting "fucking DLA stick" at her. Then this blogger wrote about being called a "scrounging cunt" in the street.
When it comes to hate the cuts are hitting us from every side. They're making us more likely to be subjected to harassment and it less likely for the authorities to take that persecution seriously. As for the subject of suicide, just have a flick through WtB and you'll see a significant percentage of posts have comments following them in which readers express their intention to kill themselves when they lose their benefits.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Disability hate crime
Cross posted at Rage against the Coalition
Disability hate crime figures for 2009 - 1,402.
That's 1,402 separate occasions where people have suffered simply because they are disabled.
Call me whatever you want but I believe this figure will rise in the next dew years. The ConDem government and the right wing press label us as scroungers. No matter what the condition is, we have been targeted.
Inflammatory headlines in the Sun and the Daily Mail scream at people that we are undeserving, feckless and work shy.
So I don't feel very confident that those already predisposed to look down their noses at us will see through the propaganda.
After all, the headlines have been screaming about immigrants and the level of race crime has risen.
So I fully expect the number of disability hate crime to rise too. I only hope that I am wrong.
Source
Disability hate crime figures for 2009 - 1,402.
That's 1,402 separate occasions where people have suffered simply because they are disabled.
Call me whatever you want but I believe this figure will rise in the next dew years. The ConDem government and the right wing press label us as scroungers. No matter what the condition is, we have been targeted.
Inflammatory headlines in the Sun and the Daily Mail scream at people that we are undeserving, feckless and work shy.
So I don't feel very confident that those already predisposed to look down their noses at us will see through the propaganda.
After all, the headlines have been screaming about immigrants and the level of race crime has risen.
So I fully expect the number of disability hate crime to rise too. I only hope that I am wrong.
Source
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