Hackney residents have expressed mixed views about the 54.7% increase in hate crimes in the borough from August to September.
This figure was part of Met Police data, which also revealed that out of the 3,070 hate crime offences in that time period, 2,631 were classed as racist and religious crime.
The fears around growing hate crime have increased following the Manchester Synagogue attack on October 2, when Jahid Al-Shamie, 35, attacked worshippers at the Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, fatally stabbing Melvin Cravitz, 66, leading to police accidentally shooting and killing Adrian Daulby, 53.
Caroline Woodley, the Mayor of Hackney, said in a statement: “We were all deeply shaken by last month’s terror attack in Manchester on Jewish citizens attending their synagogue on Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.
“That’s why our council community safety team has worked with the police and community organisations since that incident to step up reassurance patrols, visit local synagogues and work with residents to offer support.
“We have also spoken with our Muslim communities in recognition that there would also be safety concerns, as we have seen in the shocking arson attack on a mosque in East Sussex.
“Islamophobia, antisemitism and wider hate crime deeply impacts our communities and we will continue to work closely together to protect Hackney as somewhere that people of all faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds can be safe, feel safe and belong.
“My message is clear. Hackney is, and will always be, no place for hate.”
Hackney council launched a campaign strategy called No Place for Hate 2023-2026, which was aimed at reducing hate crime in the Borough through better monitoring of hate crimes and incidents, more community input and involvement, spreading awareness and education on hate crime, among other methods.
However, many Hackney residents, including Muslim and Jewish residents, who spoke with the Londoners, told a different story.
Many Hackney residents from Muslim and Jewish communities, as well as people not affiliated with either, claimed that hate crimes were rare and that gentrification had much to do with it.
Mr Gokdeniz, 21, the manager of a grocery store in Hackney central, had little to say on any hate crimes in the area.
“Someone pulled a knife on me a couple of months ago,” he said.
However, he claimed it was not related to hate crime and that he has ‘never seen’ anything he would describe as a hate crime.
When asked about what he thought of Hackney borough council, he replied: “They’re alright but they could probably do much better.”
A Muslim individual who did not wish to be named told a similar story. He said: “In terms of hate crime… I haven’t experienced it.
“In the past we’ve had security guards near the mosque when a hate crime was reported, not in this area but in other areas so that’s good.”
Haroon Khan, 49, a Muslim individual who grew up in Hackney during the 80s and 90s, said the ‘worst estates were in Hackney’ as it used to be the poorest borough in London.
Speaking to a Jewish individual outside a Jewish faith centre on 89 Stamford Hill, Hackney, who did not wish to be named, he said that sometimes he does ‘feel scared’, which is part of the reason why he has not sent his children to school alone in the past year.
In terms of possible improvements, he said: “Maybe more security guards for the centres and maybe the bus for the kids to go to school.
“In general, I’m very happy with Hackney, there is more problem with the dustbins rather than hate crime.”
Speaking to another Jewish individual further on from 89 Stamford Hill, who also did not want to be named, said he is originally from Yemen.
He said “I love Yemen, I love the people over there, the people there respect each other.
Yet, he expressed disappointment. “When you come here, it’s mixed,” he said.
His dream was for Jews and Muslims to be ‘connected’ and ‘friends, that’s it’.
Hackney Council has been approached for comment.
Featured image credit: Matthew Cumberland
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