Blackburn Hate Crime Event

Saturday 8th March saw more than 300 people gather at King George's Hall in Blackburn at an event promoting the fight against intolerance towards race, religion, sexuality and lifestyle, organised by local police and charity Woman's Voice.
The evening included a speech by Sylvia Lancaster, mother of Sophie Lancaster, on the aims of the S.O.P.H.I.E. Foundation and their recent work. The evening also featured a showing of the Dark Angel video, an animated feature created in Sophie's memory with music by Portishead.
Our reporter spoke to some of those taking part...
One of the aims of the event was to bring together young people from different cultures so they could share their experiences. We spoke to a few people about their experiences of Hate Crime and how they've coped in those situations.
We also spoke to Natalie who is heavily involved in the S.O.P.H.I.E. campaign about the evenings event, coping with Hate Crime and what to do if you're a victim.
The evening also featured a fashion show celebrating differences, and entertainment from several dance acts and bands including Skittles, MC Nas-T, New Industrial Institute and SDMC, as well as a noisy version of a Jerry Springer based drama.







