Three London boroughs are gathering together to denounce bigotry, discrimination and prejudice as they collectively mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW) (Saturday 10 October – Saturday 17 October 2026).
Haringey Council, Hackney Council and Islington Council are to hold a joint community engagement event next Thursday (15 October 2026) with a unified voice and one clear message – “We stand together against hate.” Hate crime officers from all three boroughs will be outside Finsbury Park Station between 3pm and 6pm that afternoon, when they’ll engage with members of the public, raise awareness of hate crime and – most importantly – encourage their residents to understand how, and where, they can report hate crime and access support.
There will be opportunities for members of the community to speak directly with community safety council staff and police partners; share their own messages of solidarity; start conversations around, and gather views on, community safety and identify places where they feel safe or unsafe. The event will also have a specific focus on disability and LGBTQIA+ hate crime, bringing together trusted community organisations and partners who do fantastic work within these two areas as part of this concerted, tri-borough approach and effort.
Three boroughs. One message. Hate has no place in our communities across Haringey, Hackney and Islington or anywhere else.
Hornsey Library will host a NHCAW-themed ‘Follow Your Art’ session on Friday afternoon (16 October 2026, 3pm-5pm) which is open to all, while a workshop on ‘Communities Countering Hate’ will also be held on Wednesday (14 October 2026, 1pm-2pm) among Haringey’s Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations and led by the Groundswell Project. The borough’s schools and education settings will have assemblies and resources on tackling hate crime for students and staff throughout NHCAW, with visits from local faith leaders to help promote community cohesion and inclusion too.
All Haringey Council staff will have the chance to benefit from online tutorials on allyship, awareness and understanding when it comes to Antisemitism and Islamophobia, delivered by the Community Safety Trust and British Muslim Trust respectively. Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Ata Berk Aksit, said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe in our borough and no one should face abuse, discrimination or intimidation because of who they are.
“This week is an opportunity to show solidarity with those affected by hate crime, raise awareness of the support available and encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences hate crime to report it. We look towards our borough's grassroots organisations, faith groups, and diaspora networks that are confronting prejudice first hand.
“Our efforts to tackle hate crime as a council is in partnership with them and must empower those affinity groups to continue fighting division on the ground. By working together with our neighbours in Hackney and Islington, we are sending a clear message that hate has no place in our communities.”
