Extreme and dangerous beliefs

views that can divide a community by using faith and race as a weapon of difference.
The word ‘extremism’ should be used with care because it has a specific meaning in modern society.

Definitions of extremism

1. Beliefs and political parties which most people consider unreasonable and unacceptable.
2. It means having a view or taking action that might be considered extreme. In politics it might be an individual, group or party that believes or takes action that goes beyond the accepted norm.
3. Extremists of all persuasions try to paint the world as black and white, accentuating division and difference, and exploiting fears based on ignorance or prejudice. see www. dcsf.gov.uk/publications/violentextremism

Racism and extremism can quickly fuel community tensions and damage cohesion. The Department of Communities and Local Government is committed to tackling all hate crime.
Promoting cohesion is about building better relationships between people and communities from different backgrounds – whether different in culture, religion, ethnicity, gender or age.

Our approach is rooted in our continuing work to tackle inequalities to build a free and fair society for all.

Hate crime

Hate Crime is the targeting of individuals, groups and communities because of who they are. A hate crime is any criminal offence that is motivated by hostility or prejudice based upon the victim’s:

• disability
• race
• religion or belief
• sexual orientation 
• transgender

All hate crime is important.  No hate crime is too minor to report to the police. Anyone can be the victim of a hate crime. We all have a racial identity, all have a sexual orientation, all have some sort of beliefs. Anyone of us could be targeted because of some aspect of our identity. Tackling hate crime supports each and every one of us.

Hate crime is different to other forms of crime:

• hate crime targets people because of their identity. It is a form of discrimination that infringes human rights and keeps people from enjoying the full benefits of our society
• research has shown that hate crimes cause greater psychological harm than similar crimes without a motivation of prejudice
• hate crime creates fear in victims, groups and communities and encourages communities to turn on each other

There are also third-party reporting schemes which allow victims to report a hate crime to the police anonymously or confidentially via a third party, like a community group or website, including:

• Victim Support
• Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Citizen Advice Bureau
• True Vision
• Stonewall
• Stop Hate UK
• VOICE UK
• North Staffs Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard

The 5 Strands of Equality

• Race
• Religion
• Gender
• Sexuality
• Disability

How Can We Help

PARINS
STAFFORDSHIRE POLICE
STOKE-on-TRENT CITY COUNCIL
DEPT. COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Faith & Cohesion Unit)