Date: 1st November 2022
Dear Members of the London Hong Kong Integration Steering Group,
I am writing to you as Hong Kong community leaders to address the events that took place at the Consulate General of China in Manchester on 19 October, and the measures that myself and the Mayor are taking to ensure the safety of Hong Kong Londoners.
I was appalled to see the violent scenes in Manchester. I both understand and sympathise as to how these events can make Hong Kong Londoners fearful for their personal safety and hesitant to exercise their freedom of speech and protest, values we hold so dearly in our capital.
The Mayor and I are committed to working with you to ensure that London is a place where Hongkongers feel safe and where new arrivals from Hong Kong are fully supported to settle into their communities and build a sense of belonging. Earlier this year, my team, along with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), worked to establish a new Hong Kong forum with the Metropolitan Police. This group was established to listen to Hongkongers’ concerns and improve the ways in which the Metropolitan Police address them. The Mayor’s London Hong Kong Integration Steering Group is another way in which we actively seek the community’s scrutiny of our work to welcome and support the integration of new arrivals from Hong Kong.
The Mayor will continue to do everything in his power to support the growing community of Hong Kong Londoners. We are moved by the community and integration work being delivered across our capital by Hong Kong-led groups, many of which have been recently formed by and are driven by new arrivals. Your thriving contribution to the richness and diversity of our great city is immeasurable.
During these difficult times if you want to reach out to the team to discuss what more we can be doing to support you, then please email: HongKongVCSE@london.gov.uk
Yours sincerely,
Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard
Deputy Mayor for Communities & Social Justice