On Tuesday 27th October, a Sikh MP has written to the Home Secretary demanding urgent action to address anti-Sikh hate crime.
Preet Kaur Gill, who was the first female Sikh MP and chair of a cross party group of MPs who have produced a report on the abuse of Sikh people in the UK wrote, “The scale of hate crimes targeting the Sikh community is a phenomenon that is largely invisible to government and the wider public. Official Home Office data for the last two years shows the level of reported hate crimes targeting Sikhs has increased over 70 per cent.
“However, the increased reporting is the result of Sikh community organisations raising awareness of the need to report and has been achieved with no government funding or support.”
Earlier, a report, by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs, reported that it aims to establish an official name for and definition of hate crimes against Sikhs through a consultation with government and the wider public over 60 days. They propose that the term “Anti-Sikh hate” be used. They argue that while terms such as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are very well established and that hate crimes targeting Sikhs are often “overlooked”. The report also argues that some religious hate crimes against Sikhs are “almost certainly” being reported under Muslim hate crime based on the assumption of the perpetrator. According to official Home Office figures, 117 hate crimes were recorded against Sikhs in 2017-18 compared to 202 in 2019-20.
