By Joshua Robinson – 

TSL Kirklees’ CEO, Michael Pitchford, and Chair, Andy Petrie, have released a message to  promote peace and unity during this time of recent violence and racism across the UK. Furthermore, they have provided advice on staying safe during this time of unrest.

Below is the message that was sent out:

Dear TSL Members,

TSL Kirklees prides itself on being an inclusive organisation that sees diversity as a strength. In light of the recent events in West Yorkshire and around the country, we want to add our voice to those of the faith and community leaders, police, health and council colleagues that we work in partnership with, to condemn the violence, racism and Islamophobia that we’ve been witnessing. We stand together with them in promoting peace and unity.

We are in contact with relevant authorities and we are working together to make sure that everyone is kept informed and safe. You will know that a lot of what you may see online is rumour, speculation and misinformation (including reports of a far-right demonstration in Huddersfield earlier in the week), and your efforts in working in your communities to get people to think twice before sharing or doing anything that might escalate a volatile situation are appreciated.

We are here to support you now and in the coming months to ensure racists and those carrying out this violence do not undermine the cohesion and relationships we all work so hard to build in our communities. Please get in touch if you want to talk about any of this, have any concerns, or suggestions about how we can work together to address any divisions and issues that have arisen.

In the meantime, we’ve pulled together a number of official resources, links and advice from the Charity Commission, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Hope Not Hate, police and others (via link below) to help you, your organisation and your community manage risk and stay safe (and we’ll keep adding to this post as information and advice is added to and updated).

To see the advice and resources that the TSL provide, please click here.

In addition, KLTV recently interviewed TSL Kirklees’ CEO, Michael Pitchford, and you can watch the video below.

We appreciate your support, it really is invaluable, please share the article, and make sure to join the KLTV WhatsApp Community today!