The number of crimes committed against disabled people in Suffolk has risen by 60% in the past 12 months, it can be revealed.
The findings have been obtained by the East Anglian Daily Times following a Freedom of Information Request.
It revealed that during 2008/09 a total of 86 disabled hate crimes were committed in the county and in 2009/10 the figure rose to 138.
A spokeswoman for the Suffolk Hate Crime Service said it is anticipated that the current year’s figures will be much higher.
A number of local organisations have joined forces to tackle the problem including the Hate Crime Service, Suffolk Police and Suffolk County Council.
Linda Hoggarth, chairman of Suffolk disability support charity Optua which is also tackling the issue, said: “Our aim is to enable around 30 people with learning disabilities across Suffolk to become Respect Champions so that they can raise awareness of disablist hate crime among other people with learning disabilities across the county.
“There are a series of Respect Champions Courses running in Suffolk and we have provided a member of staff to help support these.
“The courses have been facilitated by Suffolk Acre and so far they are going very well. We’ve had some very positive feedback from our member of staff who has been involved.
“This is very important because disablist hate crime has historically been under-reported and the idea is to encourage people with learning disabilities to feel more confident about reporting hate crime.
“A longer-term aim is to have initiatives to raise awareness of hate crime among people with any disability.”
A spokesman for Suffolk police added: “As a service we are aware that disability hate crime is currently under- reported. Through engagement with voluntary and statutory agencies we aim to develop an increased awareness of these issues and inform individuals how they can report hate crimes.”
EADT24
Friday, 5 November 2010
Brazilian law student faces jail for ´racist´ Twitter election outburst
Mayara Petruso used the social networking websites to blame people in the poverty-stricken north-east of Brazil for the victory of Dilma Rousseff, of the left-wing ruling Workers´ Party.
The OAB, Brazil´s equivalent of the Bar Association, in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco filed a request to open a criminal case against her at the Federal Public Ministry of Sao Paulo.
The law firm in Sao Paulo where she worked as an intern also confirmed that Miss Petruso was no longer working for them and condemned the comments.
Miss Petruso prompted a series of comments, some critical and others agreeing with her, after writing on her Twitter account: “Northeastern is not us. Do a favour to SP [Sao Paulo]: kill a northeasterner, drowned.”
She later wrote on Facebook that allowing people in the north east to vote threatened to “sink the country who worked to support the bums”.
Black and mixed-race Brazilians outnumber the white population in much of the north east, whereas the white population is larger in most of the wealthier south.
If the case goes to court she would face charges of racism, which carries a sentence of between two and five years imprisonment, and incitement to murder on the internet, which is punishable by three to six months imprisonment or a fine.
Miss Rousseff won the national election to succeed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday with 56 per cent of the votes compared to 44 per cent for Jose Serra, of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).
She received more than 70 per cent of the vote in parts of the north east but an analysis published in the Brazilian press suggested that she had enough votes to win even without the huge margin of victory in some of the poorest states.
Miss Petruso closed her social networking accounts after generating a wave of publicity but the OAB obtained copies of the pages featuring her comments and identified the author.
“It is inconceivable that a law student has attitudes contrary to the social function of their profession,” said Henry Mariano, president of the OAB in Pernambuco. “How will someone with this behavior become a professional who needs to defend justice and human rights?”
Mr Mariano said that there is no deadline for prosecutors to make a decision on the case and whether to take it to court.
He added that other people who had made comments on the websites supporting Miss Petruso could also face separate prosecutions.
Peixoto e Cury Advogados, the firm in São Paulo at which Miss Petruso worked, said in a statement: “With much gravity and indignation, Peixoto e Cury Advogados regrets the unfortunate personal opinions issued on the social networking sites, which we only became aware of through the media.”
The Telegraph
Miss Petruso prompted a series of comments, some critical and others agreeing with her, after writing on her Twitter account: “Northeastern is not us. Do a favour to SP [Sao Paulo]: kill a northeasterner, drowned.”
She later wrote on Facebook that allowing people in the north east to vote threatened to “sink the country who worked to support the bums”.
Black and mixed-race Brazilians outnumber the white population in much of the north east, whereas the white population is larger in most of the wealthier south.
If the case goes to court she would face charges of racism, which carries a sentence of between two and five years imprisonment, and incitement to murder on the internet, which is punishable by three to six months imprisonment or a fine.
Miss Rousseff won the national election to succeed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday with 56 per cent of the votes compared to 44 per cent for Jose Serra, of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).
She received more than 70 per cent of the vote in parts of the north east but an analysis published in the Brazilian press suggested that she had enough votes to win even without the huge margin of victory in some of the poorest states.
Miss Petruso closed her social networking accounts after generating a wave of publicity but the OAB obtained copies of the pages featuring her comments and identified the author.
“It is inconceivable that a law student has attitudes contrary to the social function of their profession,” said Henry Mariano, president of the OAB in Pernambuco. “How will someone with this behavior become a professional who needs to defend justice and human rights?”
Mr Mariano said that there is no deadline for prosecutors to make a decision on the case and whether to take it to court.
He added that other people who had made comments on the websites supporting Miss Petruso could also face separate prosecutions.
Peixoto e Cury Advogados, the firm in São Paulo at which Miss Petruso worked, said in a statement: “With much gravity and indignation, Peixoto e Cury Advogados regrets the unfortunate personal opinions issued on the social networking sites, which we only became aware of through the media.”
The Telegraph
ADL condemns anti-Beduin racism in Safed
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement condemning racism towards Beduin students in Safed on Thursday. Most recently, an 89-year-old holocaust survivor and resident of the northern city was harassed for renting an apartment to Beduin students studying at the Safed Academic College.
The ADL statement said, "All citizens of the state of Israel, according to the law, have equal rights including renting apartments." The statement continued, "Citizens should not be discriminated against for their ethnic background."
The Jerusalem Post
The ADL statement said, "All citizens of the state of Israel, according to the law, have equal rights including renting apartments." The statement continued, "Citizens should not be discriminated against for their ethnic background."
The Jerusalem Post
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)