George the Poet releases powerful video on hate crime on anniversary of Jo Cox's murder

There are allegedly more than 170,000 hate crimes that go unreported in the UK each year

A moving video addressing hate crime has been released by George the Poet to coincide with the anniversary of the death of former MP Jo Cox.

The spoken-word artist and rapper cleverly addresses issues surrounding the topic, including the cause of hate crimes and the lack of a response from the public to witnessing them.

"The defining characteristic of a hate crime is not actually hate...it's prejudice," the poem starts.

“We use the word the word ‘hate’ to define it…because the prejudice is born of a hateful climate.”

Following the terror attacks in Manchester and London, police say hate crimes have spiked, with some reports of up to 54 a day.

However, there are allegedly more than 170,000 hate crimes that go unreported each year.

On June 16 2016 Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist in Birstall, near her constituency of Bateley and Spen.

One year on from her death, more than 100,000 events are expected around the country, collectively named The Great Get Together, to celebrate the life of the 41-year-old mother of two.

Her husband Brendan Cox, who is behind the idea, has called on the country to unite against hatred on a number of occasions.

George the Poet’s video was released in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, in an attempt to help fight the cause of hate crimes, and encourage people to report them.

"During times like these it's important to hold on to the values of fairness and respect that distinguish us as humans,” said George on his poem, whose real name is George Mpanga.

David Isaac, chair of the commission added: “The recent attacks have shocked and saddened us all,”

“We need to stand together and show the people who want to divide us that we are united.

“We will not go back to a ‘them and us’ culture where distrust and hate exist and the best way to help end prejudice is by talking to each other and understanding our various communities.

“The Commission is calling for a zero tolerance approach to hostility and hatred and I would urge anyone who experiences or witnesses hate crime to report it.”