Lib Dems stand up to hate across St Albans district

Taking a strong stand against hate and division, Sean Hughes, Liberal Democrat district councillor for St Peters, will this week put forward his first council motion: Supporting LGBT+ Inclusion, Community Safety and Community Cohesion.

The Liberal Democrat motion, which will be voted on by all councillors on 15th July, would reaffirm the council’s absolute commitment to opposing any hate crime, intimidation, vandalism, harassment or discrimination directed at any individual or community, including LGBT+ people.

It makes clear that the Lib Dem vision for St Albans is one where there is a zero tolerance for collective blame or prejudice against any minority community. The motion call for the community to continue to stand together against hate - especially following the rise in horrendous incidents of both antisemitism and Islamophobia in our area and across the country.

This furthers the commitment to supporting inter-faith relations between the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in our local area, which was set out in a council motion introduced by Liberal Democrat councillors Simon Mostyn and Sarwar Shamsher in October 2023.

The motion also condemns abuse, threats and attempts to disrupt community events - something that’s incredibly poignant following the awful vandalism of promotional materials in the run up to the recent London Colney Loud & Proud LGBT+ community event.

Alongside this, it hopes to cement the council’s commitment to work with Hertfordshire Police and members of the local community to keep our local area inclusive and safe for everyone, making clear that there’s no place for hate here in St Albans.

Sean Hughes, Lib Dem councillor for St Peters, said:

“Here in St Albans, we’re clear that there’s zero tolerance for hate towards anyone - including members of the LGBT+ community.

“There’s no space for harassment or discrimination against any minority group in our local area. We Liberal Democrats have long shown our commitment to that, and we’ll continue to do so. 

“We made that absolutely clear at the Loud & Proud event which was a huge success, bringing our community together. A huge thank you to Liz Needham (Liberal Democrat County Councillor for London Colney) for her support and hard work in getting the event up and running.

“As your local Liberal Democrat representatives, we want to reaffirm our absolute commitment to continuing to support the LGBT+ and all minority communities.

“That’s why I’m putting this motion forward this week, and I very much hope that all councillors come together to support it, and take a stand.”