Deputy Mayor Jo Coles on Young People, Hate Crime, and Hate Incidents

During her visit, she sat down with Hattie Berry, a volunteer for the Youth Commission, to talk about the importance of Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Hattie has offered her thoughts on her interview with the Deputy Mayor below.

I’m Hattie from the North Yorkshire Youth Commission and I recently had the opportunity to interview York and North Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor Jo Coles on hate crime ahead of National Hate Crime Awareness Week. We discussed the ways that hate crime and incidents are experienced by young people; how we can help support young people to report hate crimes; and the growing incidence of online hate incidents.

Hate crimes and hate incidents are motivated by a victim’s perceived difference; this could be race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, or disability. The way that hate crime manifests can vary, including physical assault, verbal abuse, property damage, and harassment.

One focal point of my discussion with Jo was the influence of technology in promoting hateful narratives. Whilst people of all age groups can be affected by this and be pushed by social media algorithms to hold harmful beliefs, younger people may be more vulnerable. Both Jo and I believe in the importance of having healthy relationships with social media, recognising when content is harmful, reporting it and distancing ourselves from it. As social media is central to a lot of young peoples’ lives, this may sometimes be challenging.

To help this, Jo has advocated for community spaces for young people, building a sense of community and togetherness whilst also being a space with the potential to address hateful narratives. Media reports suggest that some young people were involved in the summer 2024 riots and anti-immigration protests, not because of a genuine hatred for immigrants, but because of lack of meaningful alternative activities. Community spaces for young people could be something that contributes to solving this problem, and is something that Jo would like to see more of across North Yorkshire.

However, hate crime and hate incidents don’t only happen online. When a young person experiences a hate crime in person, they may feel unsure on what they need to do and what support is available for them. Whilst they may have a safety net of teachers and trusted staff in school, Jo and I agreed that there are still difficulties in ensuring young people feel confident enough to report incidents of hate crime.

Firstly, young people may not realise that they have been a victim. They may also be more reluctant to speak to police and may have had difficult relationships with the police in the past. Jo stressed the importance of good community leaders and role models. If the people that young people commonly interact with and develop strong relationships with are trained in understanding and reporting hate incidents and hate crime, younger people may be more confident about speaking up . This could include hairdressers, baristas, school crossing patrols, and scout/girl guide leaders.

In addition support for young people who have experienced hate incidents and hate crimes needs to exist beyond simply the mechanisms of reporting. Everyone should feel safe in their communities and it’s really important to rebuild the confidence of all our communities, particularly after the summer 2024 riots and protests.

To conclude, my interview with Jo was something that I found really valuable. Her ideas and the discussions we had on hate crime and young people gave me a lot of insight into not only the different ways young people experience hate crime, but how we can support them too.

Help and advice

If you have been a victim of hate crime and want to report it, please call Supporting Victims on 01609 643100

To report a hate crime

• Call Supporting Victims on 01609 643100
• Fill in a Hate Crime Reporting Form online