Celebrating Albania’s Independence while addressing discrimination and building a safer space for everyone
The 28th of November 1912 marks an important day for the Albanian community, that is the Independence Day of Albania. This day symbolizes freedom from imperialism and oppression, as well as unity and preservation of the Albanian identity after centuries of foreign rule.
This year we have all gathered in Barking Town Hall to remind Albania’s resilience and heritage, as well as to raise the Albanian flag.
Joining together to celebrate such a moment with joy and pride, for the Albanian diaspora is a very significant moment, as it shows the closeness to the country of origin despite the distance and the circumstances that forced many of us to abandon it. Therefore, despite it being a day of celebration, it must also be a day to reflect on the challenges that the Albanian community is facing in the United Kingdom.
One of the most pressing issues is the discrimination our community continues to encounter at both institutional and societal levels. Over the past years, Albanians have been unfairly targeted by politicians and the media, often labeled with stereotypes that do not reflect the true character of our community. This harmful narrative has fueled hate speech and provided justification for discriminatory policies.
We have seen how these discriminatory policies have deteriorated the mental health of those who risked their lives to come to this country but instead of support from institutions and society they have received hatred and rejection, fueled by racist preconceptions. For instance, experiencing or witnessing hate incidents can have a detrimental effect on mental health, leading to stress, anxiety, and a sense of alienation.
For this reason, this year on November 28th, in addition to educating others about our history and culture, we also sought to educate about the issue of hate crime and hate speech by launching the campaign “Educate, not Hate”. The campaign aims to address hate speech, discrimination and hate crime. As part of the initiative, we introduced a 15-day activism programme dedicated to raising awareness and promoting understanding, with the aim of fostering a more inclusive society.
During these 15 days of activism, we have committed to raising awareness on issues such as racism and xenophobia, bullying and cyberbullying, gender-based violence, ableism, homophobia and transphobia, religious intolerance, hatred towards migrants and refugees, all factors that can escalate into hate crime, and that are important to tackle and denounce in order to live in the safest possible environment. During the campaign we saw the active participation of our users, young asylum seekers and women from our community. This highlights the importance and urgency of fighting hate and education is a very powerful tool to do so.
Shpresa Programme has always been dedicated to supporting vulnerable people and must continue to be a safe space for everyone, where people from different backgrounds can express themselves freely without prejudice. The “Educate, not Hate” campaign does not stop after the 15 days of activism, but we are committed to become a third-party reporting center, where everyone can feel safe to report hate incidents and hate crimes and we will do our utmost to give support to all those people who suffer from this type of violence. We believe that together we can bring a change and build a more accessible and inclusive society where every human right of every individual is respected.
