University of Huddersfield Professor involved in first All Wales
Mon, 28 Oct 2013 13:19:00 GMT
Professor Paul Thomas spoke at a conference, organised by a Wales-based youth organisation focused on young people and the challenge of far-right.
The conference, entitled ‘Far-right Extremism and young people in Wales – understanding and responding to the challenge’
Is the first All Wales conference on the subject.
The Ethnic Youth Support Team (EYST) held the conference on 22nd of October 2013 at the Welsh Government Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. At the event, EYST presented the findings from their Big Lottery Funded ‘Think’ project – a unique project which seeks to challenge racism and far-right extremism in vulnerable young people, by debunking myths and replacing these with knowledge and understanding.
Sponsored by Assembly Member Julie James, other speakers at the event included Ted Cantle, from ICoCo (the Institute of Community Cohesion) and Paul Thomas, of University of Huddersfield who shared their expertise. Jeff Cuthbert AM, the Welsh Government Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty who provided an address, highlighting the Welsh Government’s new Hate Crime Strategy.
Speaking about the conference, EYST’s Director Rocio Cifuentes said “Unfortunately, support for far-right ideas appears to be growing. In Wales, we have had several Welsh Defence League demonstrations and there is increasingly negative rhetoric around immigration, which all too often plays out as hate crime on a street level against anyone who looks different. Through this conference, we hope that those attending will increase their awareness of the challenge this presents, and consider new ways of responding to this challenge – such as EYST’s ‘Think’ Project”.
