The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently held an event at Central York High School to promote the Department ofJustice’s United Against Hate initiative.

United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam said the event, which was held in the auditorium and broadcast to all classrooms, included federal, state, and local law enforcement partners and focused on educating students on how to identify, report and prevent hate crimes.

According to Karam, the United States has seen increased incidents since Oct. 7, 2023, the press release read.

During the event, presenters distinguished unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including identifying protected speech versus speech that advocates violence or encourages people to commit hate crimes.

“The importance of identifying, reporting, and preventing hate crimes continues to be a priority,” said Karam. “By reaching out to students, we provide them the tools to prevent further hate incidents that violate the fundamental principal of democracy.”

As part of its United Against Hate programming, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to partner with communities across the Middle District of Pennsylvania to expand connections with those communities, further hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more people to report hate crimes and hate incidents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is currently scheduling events at other district high schools and will soon meet with Islamic leaders.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Anti-hate event hosted by U.S Attorney at Central York PA H.S.