Mayor announces further investment to counter hate crime and extremism as Middle East crisis deepens

Created on

01 October 2024

Mayor announces further investment to counter hate crime and extremism as Middle East crisis deepens

Mayor announces further investment to counter hate crime and extremism as Middle East crisis deepens

• New £875,000 investment by Mayor will empower grassroot groups to tackle hate, intolerance and extremism in their communities.
• Mayor calls for Londoners to stand united and not let the appalling escalation in the conflict in Lebanon and Israel lead to an increase in hate crime here.
• Action will work to counter steep rises in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime and the growth of far-right narratives online.
• Latest funding forms part of the Mayor's record £15million investment to tackle hate and extremism as new figures show record-breaking numbers of young people being arrested for terrorism offences.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a further £875,000 investment for grassroots community projects to tackle hate, intolerance, extremism, radicalisation and terrorism in the capital.

The funding will empower grassroot groups across London to bring communities together and counter steep rises in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes¹ and the growth of far-right narratives online over the past year.

The action comes amid calls for unity from the Mayor who continues to work closely with the police and community leaders to ensure everyone in the capital feels safe and is safe amid the appalling escalation in the conflict in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and the wider region.

The announcement forms part of the Mayor's record £15million investment²- more than any other mayor - to support victims of hate crime and tackle hate and extremism in London's communities. It comes as new Home Office figures show record-breaking numbers of young people aged below 17 are being arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. ³

The funding will support 20 groups including The Anne Frank Trust UK to deliver workshops that challenge anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate; Stand Up! - an interfaith project which brings Jewish and Muslim educators into the classroom to facilitate informal conversations with young people and empower them to act against racism and discrimination with a specific focus on antisemitism and Islamophobia; and EXIT Hate UK which works with young people aged 14-18 to help them understand the dangers posed by extreme right-wing ideologies.

The Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund is working to empower Londoners of all ages to challenge hateful views in their communities, better protect those vulnerable to radicalisation and stop the spread of growing hateful ideologies including the far-right. Since the grassroots fund was launched in 2020, £4million has been invested in 95 completed projects which has included delivery in each London borough with more than 140,000 Londoners having benefited. A further 20 projects will be delivered over the next 6 months with more than 50,000 Londoners expected to benefit as a result of the Mayor's latest investment which will deliver workshops, educational activities and interfaith community programmes.

The latest independent evaluation of the Shared Endeavour Fund found that the Mayor's investment is working to build Londoners' resilience to radicalisation and extremist recruitment as well as reducing racism, intolerance, hate and extremism in the capital. ⁴

The funding comes just ahead of the first anniversary of the horrific Hamas attacks on October 7th, actions of the IDF in Gaza, the devastating ensuing conflict and appalling humanitarian and hostage crisis which continues to impact so many Londoners - particularly those with family and friends in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and the wider region.

It also follows recent disorder in the UK this July which was largely fuelled by misinformation, racism and extremism promoted by far-right groups online.

The latest action is part of a package of measures by the Mayor to tackle rising hate crime and misinformation and is being delivered alongside continued work with the Met Police and community leaders to ensure all of London's communities feel safe and are safe.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "We know that an escalation in conflict in the Middle East often leads to an increase in hate crime here in London. With the appalling further escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and the region, I'm appealing to Londoners to continue to look out for their friends and neighbours whatever their faith and backgrounds and stand united against all forms of hate.

"We have seen an abhorrent and completely unacceptable rise in hate crime over the last year - particularly antisemitism and Islamophobia which has profoundly impacted our Jewish and Muslim communities in London. I'm determined to continue to work in partnership with community, faith and police leaders to ensure everyone in the capital feels safe and is safe.

"Hate crime comes in many forms and I'm determined to tackle it head on by investing in grassroots projects which empower our communities to stand up to hate and intolerance where they are, so that we can stop the spread of hateful narratives, reject extremist ideologies and do more to safeguard vulnerable young Londoners from radicalisation and misinformation online.

"At a time of rising tension and online hate, this scheme will continue to build bridges across communities, embrace what we have in common and help ensure Londoners of all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome, safe and can thrive."

Met Assistant Commissioner, Matt Twist, said: "Nobody should feel unsafe or in fear going about their lives in this city, certainly not on the basis of their race or religion.

"Since October last year we have seen a really concerning rise in hate crime with both antisemitic and Islamophobic offences increasing significantly. For the past year we have had a dedicated policing operation tackling hate crime in communities, responding to significant protest, countering extremism and terrorism, and working to provide reassurance particularly in parts of London with significant Jewish and Muslim populations.

"As the situation in the Middle East becomes less certain once again, we know that fears and tensions will rise here at home too. Our work, which is underpinned by engagement with community representatives and with our key partners, will continue. Together, we are determined to demonstrate that there will be no tolerance for hate crime in London."

Ruth Martin, Grants Team Manager at Groundwork London, said: "Groundwork London supports London's diverse communities to ensure the capital is a vibrant, safe, and respectful place for everyone. We are proud to continue working with MOPAC to support the Shared Endeavour Fund, which is now in its fifth year. So far, the fund has supported over 90 initiatives across London, which has impacted over 140,000 Londoners. We look forward to working with new and returning grant recipients as they deliver their projects to counter hate, intolerance and radicalisation in their communities and reach those most in need."

Zaynab Albadry, Project Manager, Stand Up Education Against Discrimination, said: "The Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination project has been awarded funding by the Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund for 5 consecutive years. Tens of thousands of young people have participated in free anti-discrimination workshops raising awareness about racism and prejudice and empowering them to act against hate, discrimination, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim hate.

"Our partners, the CST and Tell MAMA have warned of the growth in both anti-Muslim hate and antisemitism, with incidents targeting these communities worryingly becoming more aggressive. Thanks to this latest funding, even more young Londoners will meet our Jewish and Muslim facilitators to breakdown misconceptions and stereotypes targeting minority communities. Through this project participants will be assisted to navigate difficult climates and issues to feel empowered becoming the leaders of tomorrow, modelling a respective and welcoming environment for their communities and wider British Society."

Tim Robertson, Chief Executive of The Anne Frank Trust UK, said: "Educating against prejudice is an urgent national priority, and we're experts at it here at the Anne Frank Trust UK. But finding the necessary funding is really tough right now. So I'm massively grateful to the Mayor of London's Shared Endeavour Fund for enabling us to bring our programme to thousands of young Londoners. This is totally the right initiative at exactly the right time."

Nigel Bromage, Founder of EXIT Hate UK, said: "Funding from MOPAC's Shared Endeavour Fund is crucial to combating hate, extremism and terrorism. Through the Mayor of London's funding we have been able to deliver impactful projects year on year which challenge Far Right hate narratives and boost the capacity of frontline practitioners and family members to keep those vulnerable to radicalisation safe.

"This year's delivery is more important than ever with the risk of Far Right extremism increasing in the aftermath of horrific recent disorder across parts of the country. We will be working with even more frontline practitioners and young Londoners to provide awareness raising on the dangers of Far Right radicalisation whilst also providing non-judgemental help and support to those that need it."

Notes to editors

• Arc Theatre Ensemble - London
• Tomorrow's Leaders
• Manorfield Charitable Foundation
• Chelsea FC Foundation
• Maccabi GB
• London Tigers
• Protection Approaches
• Integrity UK
• Resilience in Unity
• Naz Legacy Foundation
• Exit Hate UK Ltd
• Global Acts of Unity (GAU)
• EqualiTeach
• Shout Out UK
• Connect Futures
• Salaam Peace
• The Anne Frank Trust UK
• Groundswell Project - (Communities Countering Hate)
• Groundswell Project - (Communities Countering Misogyny)
• Solutions Not Sides

¹ According to our data from the Met Police Crime Dashboard, antisemitic hate crime has risen by 286 per cent in the past 12 months from September 2023 to August 2024 when compared to September 2022 to August 2023. Faith hate crime has increased by 120 per cent and Islamophobic hate crime is up 67 per cent over the same period of time.

For the period January to June 2024, the Community Security Trust (CST) also recorded reports of 1,978 anti-Jewish hate incidents, up from 964 in the first half of 2023. Full stats: https://cst.org.uk/news/blog/2024/08/08/antisemitic-incidents-report-january-june-2024.

Data Source: Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Crime Dashboard: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/metropolitan.police.service/viz/MonthlyCrimeDataNewCats/HateCrime.

²Since 2016 the Mayor has invested more than £15 million - more than any other mayor - to tackle hate, intolerance and extremism In London. This includes a significant uplift in the specialist support for victims of hate crime.

³New Home Office figures, published in September 2024, have revealed a record number of children are being arrested as terror suspects.

According to the stats, police detained 242 people on suspicion of terror offences in the year to June, of which 17% (40) were aged 17 and under.

This represents a 60 per cent increase from the 25 detained in the previous 12-month period. It is the highest number since records began more than two decades ago - with just two children arrested in the year to June 2002.

⁴ The Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund is independently evaluated. The latest published evaluation showcased the strong impact and efficacy of the fund stating that it had been "successful in building Londoners' resilience to radicalisation and extremist recruitment, and reducing racism, intolerance, hate and extremism in the capital. Link to full Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) report here:https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/shared-endeavour-fund-call-two-evaluation-report/.

About the Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund:

The Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund offers grants of up to £100,000 for projects which identify opportunities to counter violent extremism in London, and is focused on funding initiatives across these key areas:

Strengthening communities against extremism;

• Encouraging Londoners to stand up to hate and intolerance;
• Safeguarding vulnerable Londoners from radicalisation;
• Stopping the spread of extremist ideologies.

Breakdown of the Mayor's Shared Endeavour Fund funding:

Call 1 of the Shared Endeavour Fund - 2020/21 - £800k (match funding £400k each from Mayor and Google.org) - funded 31 projects - reached more than 28,000 direct beneficiaries.

• Call 2 - 2021/22 - £600k (Mayor funds only) - funded 19 projects - reached more than 33,000 direct beneficiaries. 
• Call 3 - 2022/23 - £725k (Mayor funds only) - funded 22 projects - reached more than 30,000 direct beneficiaries.
• Call 4 - 2023/24 - £875k (Mayor funds only) - funding 25 projects - expected to reach 30,000 direct beneficiaries.
• Call 4 top-up of £75k (reacting to Israel and Gaza crisis)
• Call 5 - 2024/25 - £875k (Mayor funds only) - funding 20 projects - expected to reach 50,000 Londoners.