Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect British Jews from anti-semitic attacks.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The UK Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. We deplore all attacks motivated by religion, race or sexuality. Everyone should be able to live their lives free from fear of targeted hostility, harassment or violence
on the grounds of a particular characteristic.
The Government’s action plan on hate crime brings together the activities of government departments that work with local agencies, voluntary organisations and an independent advisory group to meet three main objectives to challenge
attitudes and behaviours, increase the reporting of hate crime, and improve the operational response to it.
Our work includes encouraging anyone who is a victim of a hate crime or subject to religion or race-related abuse or attack to have the confidence to report it to the police so that the offenders can be dealt with appropriately. As part of
this, we issued guidance in 2014 to police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on dealing with hate crimes. This which includes advice on responding to incidents and how to monitor and deal with community tensions.
We have also worked with organisations, including Show Racism the Red Card, the Anne Frank Trust and the Jewish Museum to raise awareness of prejudice with children and young people, to prevent hate crime from happening in the first
place.
A progress report was published in May 2014 and provides an overview of our achievements, which include working with football authorities to help drive racism and homophobia out of football, worked with organisations such as Show
Racism the Red Card, the Anne Frank Trust and the Jewish Museum to raise awareness of prejudice with children and young people and supported the work of Tell MAMA to address anti-Muslim hatred. We have also seen the first
conviction(s) for offences of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation under Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986 (as amended). The progress report also includes case study examples which demonstrate how
work is being carried out locally. The report is available in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Nigel Evans (Conservative - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to mark the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK will be represented at the official commemoration ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau to be held in Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The delegation will include survivors of Auschwitz, the British Ambassador to Warsaw, representatives of the Holocaust Educational Trust and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
The UK has donated £2.1 million to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. We have been very closely involved in the efforts made by the Foundation to raise the remaining amount for the Perpetual Fund that will enable the Museum and Memorial to function indefinitely. Our Ambassador in Warsaw has been helping to lead efforts to engage the private sector in supporting the Fund, including by hosting a meeting to discuss how to assist the Foundation in promoting the idea of 18 Pillars of Remembrance – involving substantial contributions by private donors.
The Government supports the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to deliver the national commemoration and local activities across the UK, and will be represented at a senior level at this year’s commemoration. Holocaust Memorial Day 2014 was the most successful to date with 2,400 activities having taken place. Reflecting our Chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, we have encouraged our Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates around the world to make a special effort this year to host or sponsor various activities on 27 January to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. We hosted a major Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on 21 January in partnership with the Embassy of Israel in London.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the conference on anti-semitism held on 12 and 13 November in Berlin by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government is grateful to the Swiss Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for organising this important conference in Berlin, to Germany for hosting it, and to the US for delivering a key note address. We recognise that, ten years on from the last concerted attempt to confront anti-semitism in OSCE member states, the phenomenon may be getting worse in several countries. The UK acknowledges the scale of the problem and has developed robust, evidence-based policies to combat it. The UK’s success in encouraging more and better reporting of hate crime was recognised by several delegations at the conference.
We also welcome the conference of civil society groups which took place the previous day, with active participation by a range of UK experts, including the Community Security Trust and members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. We hope the OSCE as a whole will take note of, and act upon, their recommendations.