A meeting of community leaders has been held in Newcastle to reassure the city and its residents that plans are in place to keep them safe.
Representatives of different places of worship, businesses, voluntary groups and community hub came together in a show of unity at the Newcastle City Council’s Civic Centre last night (August 8).
The meeting was led by Leader of Newcastle City Council Cllr Nick Kemp, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth.
Together with Supt Darren Adams, of Northumbria Police, they provided an overview of policing plans but spent most of the meeting in open dialogue with community leaders.
There was a celebration of the positive scenes in the West End on Wednesday evening and reassurances provided amid concern violent disorder seen across the country will come to the city.
Cllr Nick Kemp, Leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to convene a representative group of voices for our city to hear their concerns so we can all work together to ensure everybody can continue to enjoy everything that makes Newcastle so special.
“At this meeting we heard stories of defiance, hope and unity. For those who still feel scared, we will continue to have an open dialogue so the people of Newcastle know that those seeking to divide us will not win.
“Despite the show of strength on Wednesday, there is understandably still concern and we know how important it is to ensure community leaders have the information they need to reassure our residents.
“We were able to use this meeting to talk through the robust policing plans that are in place for the weekend so that our communities have the confidence to go about their business. However, we know that for some, it will take a long time for that to be the case.
“There will be a visible presence in the city on Saturday and our officers will be offering their support. Hatred will once again not be tolerated and long term we will continue to have these conversations with community leaders so they feel safe and at home in Newcastle.”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness attended a community meeting in Sunderland earlier this week and echoed the message from Cllr Kemp.
She stressed the importance of providing reassurance to communities ahead of planned demonstrations at the weekend, and the need to bring people together in the long-term.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “What we saw in Newcastle on Wednesday night was so heartening. We are together, we are united and the violence we have seen on our streets won't be accepted. We stand in solidarity with all our minority communities who have been targeted.
“I am speaking to bus companies and Metro about security and safety on public transport, and I’m in constant contact with Northumbria Police and the Government to ensure the North East has what it needs to keep people safe this weekend.
“However what the gathering of communities and faith leaders shows is that we need to think about the long term. As Mayor I’m determined to restore the confidence of our communities, and work to bring people together so we show once and for all that racism and violence is not welcome in the North East.”
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said: “From the greatly encouraging scenes on Wednesday night to last night’s packed meeting which saw so many community and voluntary sector representatives come together – it all highlights the true supportive and compassionate values of our area and our shared determination to stand up to unacceptable racism and violence.
“From the start, Northumbria Police vowed to deliver a robust policing response and at the meeting a great deal of praise was given to our police force for delivering just that. This effort and commitment to protect our communities will not stop and tough action will continue to be taken as needed. Investigations are happening around the clock to catch those who have been involved in disorder in our region so we can get them before the courts.
“Coming together also provided an opportunity for communities to raise understandable concerns and for us as to collectively listen, share plans and provide reassurance. While we may not be out of the woods yet, we are doing everything we can to navigate our way through this dark time so we can put unacceptable violence and harmful division behind us. Any abhorrent attempt to cause division in our city, or elsewhere in the region, isn’t working – it’s actually making us stronger as we come together to show that racism and violence don’t belong here.”
Supt Darren Adams, of Northumbria Police, was on hand to update community leaders on events this week and police plans for the weekend.
Representatives at the meeting included faith leaders of Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Christian places of worship.
Leaders of a number of voluntary groups and community hubs were also in attendance as well as leaders in the business community, the Newcastle United Foundation and the Newcastle United Supporters Trust.
The leaders of the Newcastle Liberal Democrats, Newcastle Green Party and Newcastle Independents were also in attendance.