Hate crime was the subject under discussion when police officers from Huddersfield met asylum seekers and refugees in the town.
The meeting, organised by Destitute Asylum Seekers Huddersfield (DASH), sought to offer advice to people in the event of being the focus of hate crime. It also gave some clients their first experience of meeting the police.
There are around 650 supported asylum seekers in Huddersfield, of whom around 250 are registered as DASH clients. Countries of origin include Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, Turkey, China, Venezuela and El Salvador. Refugees include former doctors, journalists, a chef and an aeronautical engineer.
The meeting helped break down barriers between foreign nationals and the police, said coordinator Lucy Lucy, who set up DASH in late 2011.
“People have not told us of hate crime experiences and that’s partly because they are afraid to speak out. That was the point of having the police come along,” she said.
“It’s partly a language issue. It’s also that people are afraid of the police because in their countries they are something to be feared.”
Around 40 refugees attended the meeting. Attendance was lower than normal due to Ramadan but DASH was still able to field five volunteer interpreters in Farsi, Urdu, Sorani Kurdish, French and Arabic from its client volunteers. “Everyone understood what was being said,” explained Lucy.
One woman later told of wearing a niqab – or full-face veil – and how an attacker tried to rip it from her. He was stopped by a passer-by. Another woman suffered abuse and called 999 but police did not attend until 48 hours later.
Officers at the meeting offered advice for keeping safe, although it was clear that many asylum seekers and new refugees avoid going out in the evening. Recommendations included:
* Try not to go out alone; go with a friend
* Phone 999 or 101 if there is an incident
* If you are a bystander, try and video the incident
* If you are a bystander and wish to assist the victim, be careful to use reasonable force
“It was a nice atmosphere and people felt reassured by that,” said full-time volunteer worker Lucy, 61, who is based at the Salvation Army building in New Hey Road on Mondays and Thursdays.
“They cannot get to their families because their families are not here so we get them what they need,” she added.
