Five men charged in first prosecution for stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Five men have now been charged with stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, in the first prosecution of its kind since legislation came into force in March 2010.

Ihjaz Ali, 41, Mehboob Hussain, 44, and Umar Javed, 38, were charged today at Derby Magistrates’ Court with stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. Two other men, Razwan Javed, 30 and Kabir Ahmed, 27, were charged with the same offence yesterday.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Sue Hemming said: “We authorised Derbyshire Police to charge these men with offences of distributing threatening written material intending to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. The charges relate to the distribution of a leaflet, ‘The Death Penalty?’, outside the Jamia Mosque in Derby in July 2010 and through letterboxes during the same month.

“This is the first ever prosecution for this offence and it is the result of close working between the Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Police.

“Following complaints from the public, Derbyshire Police mounted a thorough investigation. We have carefully reviewed the evidence provided by the police and are satisfied that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge these men.”

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Hate Crime! Mate Crime!

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Pavilion are to put on a series of half day conferences covering Learning disabilities – practical issues and positive actions:

• Learning disabilities and employment:What needs to be done to help people with learning disabilities into work?
• Learning disabilities and housing:Private and social housing options
• Hate crime!Mate crime! Increasing awareness and access to justice
• Sexuality and people with learning disabilities: Supporting and educating people with learning disabilities to explore their sexuality and relationships

Speakers include Stop Hate UK Chief Executive Rose Simkins amongst other leaders in the field.

If you are interested in attending, please visit the Pavilion website for further information.

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UK Supreme Court discriminates against women and LGBTs

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Despite wives of male Supreme Court judges being granted the title of Lady, the husbands of female Supreme Court judges will not be given the title of Lord. Neither are the civil partners off lesbian, gay and bisexual Supreme Court justices deemed eligible for any title.

“Patriarchy, misogyny and heterosexism have been embedded at the very top of our justice system.” comments human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

Despite being the highest court on the land, the adoption of a title system which discriminates against women and gay people is a worrying step backwards for an institution supposedly committed to non-discrimination.

For the full story please visit Peter Tatchell’s Website.

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A big victory for equality

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Yesterday the judge Andrew Rutherford found guilty the Christian hoteliers who acted unlawfully by refusing a room to a gay couple  Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy in 2008 in Cornwall. He stated that discrimination shouldn’t exist in public businesses because every business is supposed to provide the same service to their customers no matter what their differences.

For the full story, click here

http://www.petertatchell.net/

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Unique national campaign starts crime reporting of mental health abuse.

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Hate crime affects 3 out of 4 people with a mental health problem. At present this goes virtually unreported and so Stop Hate UK along with Community Links, a leading mental health charity, have launched a new campaign to inform people of their rights and offer support to victims.

Follow the link below to check out the variety of support offered by Community Links.

Community Links

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