Discrimination: We Can We Do? Follow up

Bystander intervention, what it is, how it looks and what we can do as the bystander when witnessing discrimination. This is what the team at AMINA took us through when we joined their workshop for IAM 2020.

So often when we talk of islamophobia and hate crime we talk about the victim or the preparator, but we also must consider the bystander and their role in the events unrolling in front of us. Do we step in, I do, I always do, but not everyone has the confidence, knowledge and/or full heartedness to just step in. But the just step in attitude is not always the answer and this is what we learned at the presentation.

First, we discussed lived experience, hearing from a mum and aunt who was verbally attacked while out shopping. We then shared our own experiences as both bystander and victim. Followed by a talk on Gordon Allport’s scale of prejudice, steps to bystander intervention and the 5 Ds Direct, distraction, delegation, documentation and delay. All off which highlighted the many differing ways in which as an individual bystander you can step in without ‘stepping in’.

It was an inspirational event where all participants learned so much. This years IAM has taught us all so much, that we can all act and take action against hate in so many different ways.