CST and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles joint letter on removing antisemitic graffiti

CST Chief Executive David Delew and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP, have sent a joint letter to council leaders reminding them of the importance of removing antisemitic and racist graffiti and reporting it to the Police.

The letter, which can be downloaded in full here (pdf), states:

We must all continue to stand unified against all forms of hatred be it antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, racism or homophobia, whatever its manifestation, whether it is expressed on social media, as a physical attack, as a verbal threat, or in any other manner.

A particularly pernicious expression of antisemitism and other forms of hatred is the daubing of slogans or symbols, via graffiti or the fixing of stickers and posters, onto both public and private property. In these instances, a visible display of hate can increase tensions between communities, as well as providing a physical reminder to the victim of the abuse they have suffered.

The letter sets out local authorities' legal powers to remove offensive graffiti and gives contact details for antisemitic hate crime to be reported to the Police and to CST.

This initiative is another sign of our joint determination, with our partners in Government and the Police, to reduce antisemitic hate crime and to see perpetrators of antisemitic hate crime identified and prosecuted. We are grateful to Secretary of State Pickles for his continuing support in tackling antisemitism.