A request for hate crime statistics from the 2019-20 season from the Home Office has been published and shows Aston Villa supporters have been reported on 13 occasions.
Aston Villa have promoted the West Midlands Police reporting process specifically set up for hate crime and work closely with Kick It Out to challenge discrimination of all forms.
The club’s Equality and Diversity inclusion initiative, which has been named All In, celebrates and engages with diverse supporters groups.
CEO Christian Purslow said: “I firmly believe that to fix serious problems properly you have to face up to them, measure them and call them out. Reporting all instances of hate crime is the best way to root it out and be able to show zero tolerance to perpetrators.
“We have encouraged all members of the Aston Villa family, fans and employees alike, to report any instances whether in our stadium or on social media channels to provide the best possible help for the authorities.
“This summer the collaboration between the club and West Midlands Police’s Football Unit resulted in the arrest of a perpetrator within hours of some deeply offensive posts on social media.
“Our Club’s commitment to promoting the reporting of all instances of hate crime will not cease and this report shows it is working. This work will go on until the stain of hate crime is removed from any link whatsoever to our great national sport and our proud Club.”
Source – Aston Villa official website
