The London Mayor has allocated just under £1million to the new campaign.
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00:00We've got to continue to make sure, no matter what your religion, no matter what your ethnicity,
00:04no matter what your sexual orientation, no matter what your sex, that you feel loved
00:08and wanted. And as long as I'm there, we're going to make sure we celebrate our diversity
00:13rather than denigrate each other because of who we are.
00:16The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a £985,000 funding package to support community
00:23groups across London. The funding, distributed through the government's Community Recovery
00:29Fund as well as the National Lottery Community Fund, will benefit organisations in every
00:35borough, the London office has said.
00:37I'm really proud on Valentine's Day to be launching our Loved and Wanted campaign.
00:42I recognise in these uncertain and unsettled times, there are some people who are feeling
00:49a bit vulnerable and a bit frightened. We saw six months ago riots taking place in towns
00:54and cities across our country. Since October 2023, we've seen a big increase in anti-Semitism
01:00and anti-Muslim hatred. So what this campaign is about is improving a sense of unity in
01:07our city, making sure people, no matter what background you're from, in this great city
01:11of ours, you feel loved and wanted, but also reminding ourselves that here in this great
01:17city of ours, we think diversity is a strength, not a weakness, but also we don't simply
01:21tolerate difference, we respect it, we embrace it and we celebrate it.
01:25The campaign aims to bring together over 130 organisations, including cultural institutions,
01:32community groups, as well as places of worship, with the aim of celebrating and welcoming
01:37people from all backgrounds here in the capital. The campaign is set to include adverts across
01:43the city, alongside postcards and window stickers distributed to organisations such as the Royal
01:49Academy of Arts, the Black Cultural Centre and the Southbank Centre as well.
01:55There are some people who are trying to divide our communities. There are some people, politicians
01:59indeed, who are trying to pit one community against another. I'm never complacent about
02:05how wonderful our city is. It is a wonderful city, but when you speak to Londoners who
02:09are from the LGBTQ plus community, when you speak to Londoners who are Jewish or Londoners
02:14who are Muslim or Londoners who are black, some of their experiences aren't great. And
02:21that's why it's really important to, yes, of course, celebrate the great progress we've
02:24made, but to remind ourselves we mustn't be complacent. Since October 2023, we have
02:28seen an increase in anti-Semitism. We have seen an increase in anti-Muslim hatred. Yeah,
02:33of course, it's wonderful. You know, six months ago we escaped the riots and at the same time
02:38we had a great sense of solidarity in London, coming out to show our solidarity with refugees,
02:45with Muslims and others. We can't be complacent. That's why this campaign is about improving
02:50even more our sense of unity, but to make sure everyone knows that here in London, you're
02:55free to love who you want to love. You're free to be who you want to be. You're loved
02:58and you're wanted.