The No2H8 Crime Awards were founded by Fiyaz Mughal OBE in 2016, backed by a coalition of organisations and chaired by Richard Benson OBE. The annual, national awards ceremony honours those individuals and organisations that have taken steps to tackle prejudice and hate crimes, and to develop cohesive communities in the UK.
The concept of the awards is designed and implemented by the national anti-Muslim hate crime reporting service Tell MAMA, a national project of the organisation Faith Matters. Both Faith Matters and Tell MAMA were established by Fiyaz Mughal. You can read more about these two organisations in the PDF attachment to this post.
Supporting Partners and Agencies
The No2H8 Crime Awards would not be possible without support from a variety of agencies and partner organisations that are associated with helping in the fight to empower and protect vulnerable members of society and communities. These partners include Faith Matters and Tell MAMA, along with Stop Hate UK, the Community Security Trust, the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Kick It Out, Wandsworth and Westminster Mind, GALOP, Trans Media Watch, the No to Hate Crime campaign and Stonewall. Media partnerships are in place with the Jewish News and HuffPost, delegates from both of which attended last year’s ceremony, and are newly in place in 2018 with Pride Radio and the Daily Mirror.
Upstanders not Bystanders
The theme for the 2018 No2H8 Crime Awards is ‘Upstanders and Not Bystanders’, reflecting on the need for individuals everywhere to challenge intolerant behaviour, bigotry and hatred safely wherever and whenever it occurs. This is particularly vital in light of the sharp rise in racially-motivated hate crimes since the result of the Brexit referendum. The infographic attachment explores some of these statistics.
Levels of hate crime in the UK are also affected by other national and international events, causing times when it becomes more important than ever for everyone to stand up and tackle hate crime together. The awards honour those individuals and organisations that go above and beyond the accepted standards to develop cohesive and inclusive societies where every voice is heard. These people believe that human rights apply to everyone, regardless of colour, gender, religion or disability, and work tirelessly towards a day when every individual is free to live without fear.
Communities Countering Hatred
The 2017 No2H8 Crime Awards took place on the 10th of October under the banner of ‘Communities Countering Hatred’. Politicians, religious leaders, civil society activists and other organisations were honoured and celebrated for their work against prejudice and hatred within their local communities and for inspiring others to take up the same challenges. Awards included the Jo Cox Award, which went to the organisation Stop Funding Hate, which you can find out more about in the short video attachment.
The Outstanding Contribution Award was presented to DCI Shabnam Chaudhri and the Tell MAMA Award was given to Bolton Pride. Emma Roebuck received the CPS Special Award and Stephen Brookes MBE was given the Champion Award from Tell MAMA, with other awards being presented to Rabbi Jonathon Wittenberg and Dr Imam Mamadou Bocoum, the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, and the Community Engagement Team of the Northumbria Police.
Comments from the Founders
Founders of the No2H8 Crime Awards Richard Benson and Fiyaz Mughal stated after the success of the 2017 ceremony that they were proud of bringing together all the different organisations, partners, media partners and agencies into one event that sends a message of togetherness and solidarity, standing together to prevent hatred from taking root in the UK.