I am proud to announce that the sixth No2H8 Crime Awards will be taking place on 17 November. After a hiatus of 3 years due to the pandemic, the No2H8 Crime Awards will celebrate the unsung heroes and heroines who have quietly and diligently reported on hate, supported victims of hate incidents and ensured that prejudice, racism and bigotry have no part to play in their local areas and in damaging social cohesion.
Who can forget the story of Jack Stanley, the Young Upstander Award winner in 2017, who captured the hearts of viewers of the Channel 4 show Educating Manchester. Jack befriended a new classmate, Rani Assad, a Syrian refugee who was being bullied. On stage, collecting the award, Jack brought the house down as he and Rani held each other and showed that young people can truly show us all what care, empathy and a love for humanity truly means. Their arms never separated as they walked back to their seats.
Or take the winner of the Jo Cox Memorial Award, a special award that recognised her life and work. In 2019, this was awarded to David Linsey for his campaigning to help the poor of Sri Lanka and to keep the memory of his brother and sister alive. Daniel and Amelie Linsey were killed by a terrorist attack at the Shangri La Hotel in Sri Lanka in April 2019. An Islamist extremist had set off the device killing the teenagers in the hotel.
Two weeks after their deaths David set up the Amelie and Daniel Linsey Foundation which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support local Sri Lankans affected by the terrorist attack and in setting up medical trauma centres in country. This young man could have been consumed by hate, intolerance and prejudice - and who could have blamed him, having lost two siblings at the prime of their lives? Yet, he chose the path of hope over hate, of life over death and of compassion over brutality.
It is these such individuals and stories that the No2H8 Crime Awards seek to honour.
In today’s polarised world it is even more important to get the messages of hope out there and to affirm that every human being in our country should be entitled to dignity, respect and the freedom to live their lives from hate. This is a fundamental principle that underpins our society and which needs to be rigorously and consistently defended.
If you believe that an individual or an organisation deserves such recognition, please nominate them for one of the various ‘Upstander’ awards that are available this year. You can nominate them here.
Nominations will end on 8 September 2022.
Fiyaz Mughal is the Chair of the Annual No2H8 Awards (www.no2h8crimeawards.org)
