An anti-racism event is to be held in Hitchin this weekend, in response to racial abuse aimed at England footballers following the Euro 2020 final.

Organised by North Herts Diversity and Culture and North Herts African Caribbean Community, Together We Stand Against Racism will take place from 3pm on Windmill Hill on Sunday, August 1.

Both groups have established themselves as champions for community cohesion, and aim to educate people about what it means to live in a diverse society.

The event has been set up as a direct response to the racist abuse towards England footballers Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after the Euro 2020 final.

Organisers hope it will be a message of support towards the Three Lions and others that have experienced, and still experience, racism today - be it overtly or silently through institutional racial bias and profiling.

"We stand with those three young lions for their courage and the dedication it took for them, and their peers, to get England into the European Championship final," Tony Williams from Diversity and Culture said.

"Lauded with praise when winning and then racially abused when they don’t - this is not acceptable and highlights the problem we have in this country around race and intolerance.

"Our united voices say, in this event, we stand in unity against, ignorance, hate speech, cyber bullying and racially aggravated incidents! They will not win!"

Tony hopes the event will show solidarity against racism in person and online, acknowledging it happens in communities up and down the country - including in our area - and to fight to stamp it out once and for all.

"North Herts is an amazing area to live, and the vast majority of its residents are not racist in any way," Tony said.

"But we ask that it goes a step further and we are all actively anti-racist and call out all forms of racism when we see or hear it anywhere."

The event will host a variety of guest speakers, including FloRadio DJ and New Cross fire survivor Wayne Antoni, garage MC, spoken word artist and Knife Crime Victim Support chief executive officer Quinton Green and Aamani Rehman, a diversity specialist.

For further details and to register your interest in the event, visit North Herts Diversity and Culture’s Facebook page or email hello@diversityandculture.co.uk.