Mike Hedges AM welcomes statement of support for Welsh Muslims after statement from Minister for Equalities Julie James.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes statement of support for Welsh Muslims after statement from Minister for Equalities Julie James.

Mike Hedges AM backed Welsh Government Minister Julie James who has issued a statement following recent media reports of a campaign aimed at British and Welsh Muslims.

Mike Hedges said…. ‘I greatly welcome this statement; we have many Muslims living in Swansea East and we enjoy very good, harmonious relationships with our neighbours from all different cultures and backgrounds. I too condemn people who seek to divide communities and apportion blame for society ills to individuals from different backgrounds. I would urge anyone who is subject to abuse of whatever kind to report it so that the police have a picture of what is happening in the area.’

Following recent media reports about a malicious letter campaign aimed at British Muslims, Julie James, who is responsible for equalities in the Welsh Government, reassured the Muslim community in Wales that they are valued and welcome.

She wrote,

“I hope that I can provide you with some measure of reassurance by stating categorically that the Welsh Government, and the vast majority of the population in Wales utterly condemns the vile hatred expressed by a tiny minority, and the cowardly attempt to instil fear in our communities.

“The Welsh Government stands firmly alongside all those who are the victims of threats or abuse at any time, and in constant opposition to all those who seek to spread division.”

Working alongside the four police forces and the Hate Crime Criminal Justice Board Cymru, we have robust systems and legislation in place to investigate hate crimes, support victims and punish perpetrators.

The Welsh Government and the police take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously. Even when the report does not lead to an arrest, this information is still vital to help the police forces to plan and target their prevention activities.