Sikh News Hate Crimes Against UK Sikhs - VERY Important

[drkhalsa]

Please read the following VERY IMPORTANT!!



HATE CRIMES DATABASE FOR UK SIKHS

Following the tragic events of Thursday 7 July in London and the growing reports of hate crimes against Sikhs it is important for the community to have basic information on the level, type and location of these crimes. This information will help Sikhs lobby the authorities to take appropriate actions as they appear to be currently failing the Sikh community.

A hate crime is when someone attacks another person verbally, via mail or email, or perhaps physically, and the crime is driven by the attacker's prejudice against a particular group of people. While more hate crime is verbal than physical, that does not mean it's not serious, or very upsetting for the person being harassed.

What should you do if it happens to you or someone you know?

Don't retaliate: you could risk violence or make the situation worse.

Do tell someone about it: hate crime is inexcusable and should be dealt with as soon as possible. If you're at school or college, tell a teacher or staff member what has happened and they'll help you sort it out and help you decide whether you want to inform the police.

In any situation, it's your right to go to the police, report a crime and have it investigated. If you're scared to go to the police there are hundreds of third-party reporting sites. These places are community centres, other public places including some Gurdwaras where you can discuss your situation with a person trained to fill in a crime form to notify the police. You can even notify the police of a non-urgent crime over the internet.

Many Sikhs are not on email therefore feel free to report second hand on any hate crimes that you become aware of in your locality.

Please visit: http://www.sikh-secretariat.com/sikh_incident_form.htm

to fill in a simple incident form.

The information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Note: The Sikh Secretariat has been asked to co-ordinate collation of the information so it can be used for the benefit of the Sikh community in getting the authorities to take this issue much more seriously.

Sikh Secretariat
www.sikh-secretariat.com

 

[drkhalsa]

Monday, 11 July 2005 (27th Aasaarh, Samvat 537Nanakshahi)

Sikhs Meet Police Tomorrow to Step-up Security Following Backlash to London Bombings

Hate Crime Incident report facility set up at: http://virsag.co.uk/1/hate_crime/hatecrime.html

London—The Sikh community will meet the Metropolitan police at New Scotland Yard tomorrow (Tuesday) to seek the stepping up of security measures to protect the Sikh community and its Gurdwaras from the backlash to the London bombings. The meeting was sought after a petrol bomb attack on a Sikh Gurdwara in Kent which was the first backlash incident since the London bombings.

"UNITED SIKHS has been in touch with several Sikh organisations who have expressed concern at the lack of public statements for the heightened need for vigilance for the security of the Sikh community and its places of worship," said Mejindarpal Kaur, UNITED SIKHS director.

"As you are aware the Sikh community has a very visible profile such that a Sikh was the first fatal backlash victim in the United States post 9/11. You are also aware of criminal incidents against Sikh Gurdwaras in Kent and Leeds (Bradford), which are currently being investigated. However, there have been no public statements from the police to reassure the Sikh community that the Police have increased their vigilance over Sikh places of worship or that any hate crime incident reporting has been activated for the Sikh community," Ms Kaur said in a letter addressed to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair.

The letter was handed to Commander Rod Jarman at a special Police Briefing in London, who immediately responded by agreeing to a meeting tomorrow. The meeting will be followed by similar meetings with the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) to cover the rest of the home counties.

UNITED SIKHS, in collaboration with the British Sikh Consultative Forum (BSCF), Sikh Secretariat, Sikhs In England and Sikh Care Society Heathrow, has launched a Hate Crime Incident Report facility which may be accessed by any member of the public wishing to report a hate crime at http://virsag.co.uk/1/hate_crime/hatecrime.html UNITED SIKHS will forward all hate crime reports instantaneously to the police.

The 5pm meeting at New Scotland Yard will be attended by Mejindarpal Kaur and Meerat Kaur of UNITED SIKHS, Harmander Singh of Sikhs In England, Dabinderjit Singh of the Sikh Secretariat, Harjinder Singh and Satnam Kaur of Sikh Care Society Heathrow, Gurdip Singh of the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association (MPSA) and other Gurdwara representatives. Anyone who wishes to attend the meeting should contact Harmander Singh by noon tomorrow on 07958 946868.

The proposed agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. <LI class=MsoNormal>Heightened vigilance for Gurdwaras. Right now only mosques have this protection. Sikh Gurdwaras should have had this from 7th July. <LI class=MsoNormal>Setting up a freephone facility for hate crime reports and publicity for this facility. <LI class=MsoNormal>A special briefing for metropolitan and other police re vulnerability of Sikhs as mistaken identity victims <LI class=MsoNormal>Undertaking from police as to action they will take for all reported hate crimes
2. Setting up of a permanent hate crime response team for terrorism related incidents which should be automatically activated each time there is such an incident ( god forbid) so that we do not wait too many days before action is taken.

If you wish to report a hate crime/biased crime incident please use the online incident reporting form available at: http://virsag.co.uk/1/hate_crime/hatecrime.html

Issued By:
Mejindarpal Kaur
Director
UNITED SIKHS
07940 703404



Our Mission

To transform underprivileged and minority communities and individuals into informed and vibrant members of society through civic, educational and personal development programs, by fostering active participation in social and economic activity.

UNITED SIKHS is also an avenue for networking between like-minded organisations to establish and nurture meaningful projects and dialogues - whether social, cultural or political- to promote harmony, understanding and reciprocity in our villages, towns and cities.

UNITED SIKHS is a coalition of organisations and individuals, who share a common vision based on the belief that there is no greater endeavour than to serve, empower and uplift fellow beings. The core of our philosophy is an unwavering commitment to civic service and social progress on behalf of the common good.

Accordingly, UNITED SIKHS has sought to fulfil its mission not only by informing, educating and uplifting fellow beings but also by participating in cross-cultural and political exchanges to ensure that the promises and benefits of democracy are realized by all.

We at UNITED SIKHS believe that the development of enlightened and progressive societies can be made possible by socially conscious groups of people who make a commitment to develop and direct human potential. Our work, efforts and achievements stand as a testament to our faith in this vision.