Tackling Hate Crime

Part of 2. Questions to the Leader of the House and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 14 November 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:26, 14 November 2018

Yes, it's a very important point that the Member raises. Obviously, social media is a growing part of our culture and language, and we ought to have the same standards of conduct and respect and tolerance and inclusion for each other in social media as we do everywhere else. It's particularly unfortunate that people feel that they can be anonymous there, and there's a piece of work for all of us, I think, to take forward in developing rules as the twenty-first century unfolds around anonymity in these sorts of forums.

The Welsh Government provided £5,000 again this year to each of the four Welsh forces and Victim Support to actively support National Hate Crime Awareness Week in October and to raise awareness of hate crime throughout the year, and that includes in the digital space. I also work very closely with the Cabinet Secretary for Education in supporting our be safe on the internet week, which was only very recently, and in supporting our digital pioneers and young internet cadets right throughout Wales in both recognising bullying for what it is, whether it's online or not online, and actually in learning the skills and techniques to ensure that they and their colleagues are safe and that they learn how to look out for each other both in the physical space and in cyberspace.