Stand against hate crime on SW railways

Imagine you’re sat on a train, minding your own business, when you start being abused, harassed or even assaulted because of who you are, what you look like or what you believe?

Awful, right?

Well we agree. It is not ok to be targeted because of who you are, or who other people think you are. Be assured we won’t tolerate behaviour where someone is targeted or made to feel uncomfortable on a train or at a station because they are different.

That’s why yesterday (28 June), officers and staff from across the South West and beyond stood together to reinforce our message that everyone has the right to travel safely whatever their race, religion, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other perceived difference.

Officers were at key stations across the region, including Bristol and Plymouth, talking to passengers, rail staff and members of the public about the #WeStandTogether campaign, an initiative designed to stamp out hate crime and hate incidents on public transport. They also gave advice about how we tackle hate crime and support victims, providing information on what you should do if you are a victim or witness hate crime.

The #WeStandTogether campaign also aims to reassure passengers and rail staff using and working on the country’s transport system that it is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

We realise that that many people may feel reluctant or uncomfortable in making a report to the police and some may think there is no point because they have little confidence that anything will be done. But we want people to know if it’s happened to you, we take every report seriously, and all reports will be fully investigated. If you don’t tell us, we can’t do anything about it to stop it getting worse for you or someone else.

So what is a hate crime or hate incident?

A hate crime or incident can include anything which is perceived by the victim, or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity or perceived disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.　

Inspector Shawn Taylor, from BTP in Bristol, said: “Everyone has the right to travel safely and not to be targeted, simply because of who they are or because of who you or your friends and family are, or who people think they are.

“Any victimisation or intolerance that is driven by hatred will have a significant and often much greater emotional and psychological impact on those involved, but offences that are motivated by hate and prejudice also have the wider potential to divide communities. Particularly after the recent horrific events in Manchester and London, now more than ever, we need to stand together to address hatred and extremism.

“There is never any excuse and we take our responsibility to investigate this type of crime, and provide full support to victims of hate crime extremely seriously.

“If you are a victim of hate crime, or if you witness an incident that makes you feel uncomfortable, please do not suffer in silence – report it to us and we will do everything we can to help.”

You can call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or you can contact us discreetly by texting to 61016. In an emergency call 999.

If you’re not comfortable talking to us, there are other ways to report it;

Visit report-it.org.uk to make a report, which can be anonymous.

For an anti-Muslim incident tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226, WhatsApp 0734 1846086 or at tellmamauk.org

For Antisemitic incidents call CST on 0208 457 9999 or report at cst/org.uk