Shockat Adam

This year has sadly seen a continuation of the rise of those who wish to divide us, amplify our fault lines and sow division. That is happening across Europe and also, unfortunately, domestically, with the rise of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and antisemitism. As we approach the festive season, however, I want to share a message of hope and mention some excellent groups and individuals who are working to bring our communities together rather than spreading division. First, I will mention a young boy by the name of Joshua Harris, or the Joshie-Man as he is commonly known. He is a young boy with autism and he set up a campaign along with his father Dan called “Cake Not Hate”. Following an Islamophobic attack on a mosque, he now travels up and down the country visiting places of worship and shares cakes with the local community. Secondly, I will quickly mention Ruth Sinhal and her Leicester Schools Linking Project, which is an excellent initiative that brings together schools from different areas, with children from different ethnicities and religions, to learn that we have much more that unites us than divides us. Finally, in these cold winter months, there is the charity One Roof Leicester. Salma Ravat, along with Leicester cathedral, ensures that no one is left in the cold in these long nights, and they all deserve our appreciation. However, all these wonderful people face constant, vile hate speech on social media, just because they are trying to bring communities together. I would like to thank everyone who does not give in to vile rhetoric and instead chooses to stand with their neighbours in solidarity, which is the true message of Christmas. To everybody here, I wish a happy Christmas.