Written question WQ90647

Tackling hate in all its guises is a priority for the Welsh Government. We condemn the vile hatred expressed by some individuals who seek to create a climate of fear among our refugee communities.

As a Nation of Sanctuary, we must all do what we can to provide a safe welcome to people seeking sanctuary. To help enable this and to prevent hate, our Community Cohesion Programme works tirelessly to support dispersal or resettlement, as well as monitoring and mitigating community tensions.

The work of the Cohesion Programme has been essential in helping us to support Afghan resettlement and asylum dispersal in recent months, as well as our response to supporting Ukrainian refugees. I have agreed that funding for this should continue until at least 2025/2026.

We also consider carefully our communications around sanctuary schemes and encourage others, such as the Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, to adopt best practice approaches to minimise tensions. We have seen some unhelpful examples in recent years which have created tensions and exposed refugees to harmful situations. We will continue to promote good practice and work with UK Government departments to avoid these issues reoccurring.

Information on hate crime and how to report it is provided on our Sanctuary website. The website directs users to the Welsh Government-funded Wales Hate Support Centre (run by Victim Support Cymru) which provides tailored support and advocacy to all victims of hate crime. The service is free and available in multiple languages.