Anti-racism Summit

York’s first Anti-Racism summit, hosted by the Archbishop of York, saw key figures and multi-faith leaders gather on 24 January.

Hosted at Bishopthorpe Palace in partnership with the grassroots campaign organisation, Inclusive Equal Rights UK (IERUK), around 60 leaders attended.

The summit included representatives from the Church of England, York Mosque and Islamic Centre, the York Liberal Jewish Community, York Travellers’ Trust and Refugee Action York.

Cause UK Public Relations was proud to support Inclusive Equal Rights UK (IERUK) with public relations and event management services.

The summit included representatives from the Church of England, York Mosque and Islamic Centre, the York Liberal Jewish Community, York Travellers’ Trust and Refugee Action York.

In July 2023, the City of York Council’s executive approved a city-wide five-year anti-racism and inclusion strategy, developed by IERUK. The ambition is for York to be the first anti-racism city in the north.

Haddy Njie, chair of Inclusive Equal Rights UK, was instrumental in raising the issue of racism in York, after experiencing racism in the city. She put forward the motion to make York the north’s first anti-racist city, following similar initiatives in Oxford, Brighton, and Derby.

Haddy Njie said: “We want to use York as a template to inspire other towns and cities across the UK.

"This summit is an important next step in our ambition to make York an anti-racist and inclusive city.

"Despite a wave of support for our strategy last year, we also saw threatening and racist responses, which highlights how urgent constructive dialogue and engagement is to ensure we make a lasting stand and promote inclusivity.

"All who attended the summit left with actionable solutions. Only by working together, can we make a lasting difference.”

Police data shows instances of recorded racial hate crimes in York and North Yorkshire York saw a 239 per cent increase in race-related recorded hate crime since 2012, rising from 152 to 515 in 2020. Across the UK, in December, police recorded a record rise in religious hate crimes after the Israel-Gaza war".

Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, who co-hosted the event and chaired a Q&A session described, said: “The Anti-Racism summit at Bishopthorpe Palace stands as a testament to our commitment to justice and equality. It is a collective call to action, reminding us that the eradication of racism and hate in our society is not just a goal, but a moral imperative, essential for the flourishing of all humanity."

Also attending the summit were leaders of North Yorkshire Council, Cllr Carl Les OBE, and the City of York Council, Cllr Clare Douglas, as well as the Lord Lieutenant for North Yorkshire, Jo Ropner, and the Rt Hon Lord Mayor of York, Chris Cullwick.

Mrs Ropner said: "I'm sure the King would be happy that this event is happening, and being the person he is, he would hope for it across the county and I would like to see this across the whole of North Yorkshire."

Figures from the education sector attended from York St John University, Askham Bryan College, and University of York, as well as representatives from North Yorkshire Police. Business leaders from York BID and the CEO of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Paul Kissack, also took part.

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