South Basildon & East Thurrock MP Stephen Metcalfe joined local organisations for a "Stop the Hate" conference in Basildon.

Mr Metcalfe hosted a group of local organisations on Friday 7 July when the aim of the event was to highlight the destructive power of hate and bring a positive message of hope.

Opening remarks were made by Cllr Andrew Baggott, the leader of Basildon Council, who stressed how people learn to hate and, therefore, it is possible to learn not to hate.

Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, then spoke on hate crime and the importance of reporting it, whenever it is seen.

Safet Vukalic, a survivor of the Bosnian genocide, then recounted his experiences in Prijedor in 1992.

Safet Vukalic speaks at the conference.

Mr Vukalic detailed his shock that most of his neighbours were doing nothing as Muslim men and boys were rounded up and the United Nations failed to take meaningful action.

At a meeting of families, years later, Mr Vukalic expressed that the victims' overwhelming feelings were sadness and regret, not hatred. If more of their neighbours had actively rejected hatred, the outcome could have been different.

Following this, Suzanne Parsons from Essex Police Hate Crime Unit explained the role of the unit and the types of aggressive behaviour that they investigate.

Pupils from Woodlands School delivered a presentation on the big impact that small actions can have.

Some of the most serious examples of hatred on the streets of Essex involve knives.

Julie Taylor, an anti-knife crime campaigner told the conference about the tragic murder of her grandson, Liam Taylor, in a 2020 knife attack.

Mrs Taylor stressed that carrying a knife is ultimately an act of hatred and it cannot become normalised.

Safet Vukalic watches Woodlands School pupils give a presentation at the conference

Karen Pullen of the Craig Tyler Trust spoke on the importance of active kindness and checking on one another.

Finally, Mr Metcalfe made closing remarks on the importance of conferences such as this one and detailed his own experience of people who do not want to engage, do not want to hear his view but hate him simply for what he believes!

He said: "A big thank you to all the speakers at the "Stop the Hate" conference in Basildon.

"Hatred isn't going to get us anywhere. It can take many forms – physical, verbal and non-verbal – but, in all cases, it is destructive to our society. If we are going to move forward, it has to be done with positivity."