Rows of candles spelt out 'NO TO HATE' in London's Trafalgar Square on Friday evening as around 3,000 people united in a two-minute silence for the victims of anti-gay hate crime. The vigil remembered Ian Baynham, who died in October following a homophobic attack in the square. In the past year, 1,192 homophobic offences were reported in London. Reports of hate crimes went up by a fifth. Prime Minister Gordon Brown's message of solidarity to the vigil was read out: "I give you my word today that resisting all forms of hate crime remains a top priority for the Labour government. The Home Office has recently issued a new Hate Crime Action plan to increase reporting, bring more perpetrators to justice and give better support to victims. "Perhaps the cruelest impact of hate crime is the loneliness and fear which it inspires in the communities it targets. And so to defeat hate we need not just policies – but pride. That is what you are all showing this evening. So let us say as one that we stand together strong in our diversity and united in our determination that while the march towards equality may be long, nobody will ever have to travel the road alone." Similar events took place in Brighton, Liverpool and in San Francisco. Video footage from London's Hate Crime Vigil is shown below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Sunday, 1st November 2009 - 2:59pm