A vigil has been held to raise awareness of rising number of hate crimes and to honour victims of these incidents.

Around 50 people turned up to the evening event at Jubilee Square which was organised by the Rainbow Hub to coincide with Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Vigil-goers held electronic candles and listened to speeches from support groups and charities as they remembered those who have been affected or killed in hate crime incidents.

Meg Brosnan, from the Rainbow Hub said: “Our goal for tonight is to remember people who have been affected by hate crime, and that’s people who we’ve lost, people who have survived and people who live with the threat of hate crime every day.”

The Argus: Vigil-goers held candles and remembered victims of hate crimeVigil-goers held candles and remembered victims of hate crime (Image: NQ Staff)

In their speech, Brosnan highlighted that 1082 hate crimes were reported in Brighton and Hove in the past year. Over 3000 incidents were reported in Sussex in the same period.

The vigil, the first of its kind since the pandemic, was attended by a number of groups representing support services tackling racism, homophobia and other forms of hate crime.

Speaking at the event, Sophie Hargreaves, project manager for the Rainbow Hub, said: “It’s so important to have these opportunities to come together as a community.

“We are here to support you, but more work still needs to be done.”

Groups attending the event included the Racial Harassment Forum, Possibility People as well as Stop Hate UK.

The group's work includes signposting to third party and independent reporting services allowing those who witness or experience hate crime to report anonymously.

The Argus: The vigil was attended by a number of hate crime awareness groupsThe vigil was attended by a number of hate crime awareness groups (Image: NQ Staff)

Speakers at the vigil also told of their experiences of violence and threatening behaviour.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Kemp Town who attended the event, said: “These events are important in bringing the community together and providing a moment of reflection.

“We have a duty to make sure that there are independent channels and that they help to provide a data set. With that data we need to look at how we can start to stop hate propagating, and education, community engagement and economic justice have to be a part of it.”