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Hope not Hate

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HOPE not hate
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
FounderNick Lowles
TypeCivil Rights campaign
Anti-hate organisation
FocusHate groups
Racism
Civil rights
Location
Area served
United Kingdom
Productcampaigning, lobbying, media, research
Key people
Nick Lowles, chief executive
Websitewww.hopenothate.org.uk

HOPE not hate is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom that "campaigns to counter racism and fascism."[1] It was created in 2004 by Nick Lowles, a former editor of anti-fascist magazine Searchlight (from which it split in late 2011[2]).[3] It is backed by various politicians[4][5][6] and celebrities,[7] with additional backing from several trade unions[8][9][10][11][12][13] and The Daily Mirror newspaper.[14]

History

Founded in 2004 by Nick Lowles, former editor of anti-fascist Searchlight magazine, HOPE not hate functioned as part of the latter organisation until 2011, when the two parties split.[15] As a standalone organisation, HOPE not hate took with it two of the three units of Searchlight: Searchlight Educational Trust (SET), a charity; and Searchlight Information Services (SIS), its research and investigative function.

Campaigning

Initially established to counter the electoral rise of the far-right British National Party (BNP)[16] the HOPE not hate campaign "mobilises communities by providing an alternative to the politics of hate".[17] It encourages voters to support alternatives to far-right extremist movements; it also publishes allegations of violent activities by anti-Muslim organisations[18][19] such as the English Defence League and more recently has also focused on Islamist extremists and issues of communal division, such as grooming.[20][21][22] It presented a 90,000 person petition to the European Parliament protesting against the election of Nick Griffin as an MEP[23] and a 33,000 signature letter (delivered via The Daily Mirror) criticising far-right groups for using the death of Lee Rigby to push their "own agenda".[24] The group regularly holds nationwide bus tours during elections, sponsored by The Daily Mirror.

Changing focus

The organisation has increasingly focused upon community-based campaigning, particularly building what it calls "community resilience"[25] and focusing more on women voters.[26] It has launched initiatives in support of British foods, Hate Crime Awareness Week, and reported extensively on the activities of the anti-Muslim counterjihad movement[27][28][29] of Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and bloggers such as "Fjordman". It linked[30] hundreds of EDL supporters in this network with the Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik.

In 2012 the group published original research looking at the attitudes of voters towards far-right political parties in the UK, which concluded that nearly half of those polled by a Populus Ltd survey supported the creation of an English nationalist, anti-Muslim political party.[31][32] Nick Lowles recently claimed that politicians, including the Labour Party, need to address the way they talk about immigration and move away from encouraging "hate speech".[33] Liz Fekete, of the Institute for Race Relations (IRR), has said that Lowles has not taken a hard enough line against racial narratives on the grooming issue.[34]

In 2013 the organisation initiated a nationwide consultation among its supporters about the UK Independence Party (UKIP).[35] The move attracted considerable criticism from some on the Right.[36]

Lowles is one of the founders of a new anti-grooming initiative called "CAASE" (Community Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation), featuring many Muslim and Christian organisations, victim support groups, survivors organisations, and local community networks.[37]

Robert Spencer & Pamela Geller UK travel ban

Following a 26,000 signature petition handed in by HOPE not hate to the UK Home Secretary, on June 26, 2013 the US anti-Muslim bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller were banned from entering the UK.[38][39] Geller and Spencer had been due to speak at an English Defence League march in Woolwich, south London, where Drummer Lee Rigby was killed. Home Secretary Theresa May informed Spencer and Geller that their presence in the UK would "not be conducive to the public good".[40] The decision, which they cannot appeal, will stand for between three and five years.

Publications

HOPE not hate magazine.
HOPE not hate magazine (September 2012)

The campaign publishes an eponymous bi-monthly magazine; in 2011 it commissioned an opinion poll on electoral attitudes towards English identity, faith and race, published as the Fear and HOPE survey.[41][42] In 2012 it issued a report on the counterjihad movement, the Counter-Jihad Report;[27][28][29] and in the same year produced a 75th anniversary guide to the Battle of Cable Street.[43] In 2011 Matthew Collins, a former National Front and British National Party member and part of the group's investigative team, published Hate: My Life in the British Far Right (ISBN 978-1849543279).

Partners

The group works closely with several organisations, including the Extremis Project, the Islamic Society of Britain, Faith Matters (which runs the TELL MAMA anti-Muslim violence helpline), the Community Security Trust, Stonewall, Galop, the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Christian Muslim Forum, No To Hate Crime, the Jewish Gay & Lesbian Group, Mencap, British Muslims for Secular Democracy, Scope, the Coexistence Trust, Student Action for Refugees, the Survivors Fund, Show Racism the Red Card, as well as many police forces and overseas (non-UK) partners, such as The Southern Poverty Law Center in the USA and Expo in Sweden.

Notable supporters

Prominent supporters of HOPE not hate include Sir Alan Sugar, the boxer Amir Khan, Beverly Knight, actress and screenwriter Meera Syal, TV presenter Fiona Phillips, chef Simon Rimmer, songwriter Billy Bragg, Levi Roots, Speech Debelle, presenter Dermot O'Leary, Baroness Glenys Kinnock and comedian Eddie Izzard.[44][45][46]

Pushed to suicide by Hope not Hate campaign against him

43 YEAR OLD EDL MEMBER, JOHN GREEN TAKES HIS OWN LIFE AFTER HOPE NOT HATE RUN A TARGETED HATE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIM:

The father of 4 from Leeds was made the victim of an ongoing smear campaign by the left wing extremist blog, Hope Not hate. John was like most ordinary men his age, he had a business, a family but he was patriotic towards his country. It was through his patriotism that Hope not Hate targeted him and ran article after article accusing him of doing a number of horrific things.

After an Article about the EDL was featured on Hope Not Hate which mentioned John, he lost his job and was accused of being a racist. Police say that john went through a traumatic period and had been severely depressed by the hate campaign.

On July 22nd, John went into his garage and hung himself from the roof. His suicide note mentions the reason why he decided to take his own life. Source - Britons against Left-Wing Extremism - Facebook page

References

  1. ^ "HOPE Not Hate: About Us". Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  2. ^ Bright, Martin (9 August 2012). "Tragedy of a serious split between anti-fascists". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. ^ "HOPE not hate". Action.hopenothate.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  4. ^ Tarry, Sam. "Organising for Labour. Organising to win". Labour List. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  5. ^ Katwala, Sunder. "The identity crisis of Jon Cruddas". Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  6. ^ Brown, Gordon. "Malala's fight". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  7. ^ Lowles, Nick. "Partying in Manchester". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Trade Union Friends of HOPE not hate".
  9. ^ the Union, Unite. "Don't Wake Up on 5th June to the BNP Nightmare" (PDF). Unite the Union. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  10. ^ Tansley, Chris. "Supporting Hope not hate" (PDF). Unison. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  11. ^ "Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis stands for HOPE not hate". Unison. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  12. ^ "Unite the Union links to outside organisations". Unite the Union. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  13. ^ "GMB campaigns". GMB. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Hope Not Hate – Daily Mirror". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  15. ^ Lowles, Nick. "The Future of HOPE not hate". Socialist Unity. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  16. ^ "Hope Not Hate: Thousands sign anti-BNP petition". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  17. ^ "HOPE not hate magazine" (PDF). HOPE not hate. Retrieved 5 November 2012. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  18. ^ Woolley, Simon. "Hope not hate secure EDL conviction". OBV. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  19. ^ Lowles, Nick. "EDL leader threatens to broadcast anti-Muslim film". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  20. ^ Lowles, Nick. "Grooming – an issue we can no longer ignore". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  21. ^ "The Al-Muhajiroun network".
  22. ^ Lowles, Nick. "Homophobic hate preachers set to gather in York". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  23. ^ "HOPE not hate". HOPE not hate. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  24. ^ Palmer, Alun (1 June 2013). "Hope Not Hate letter to Mirror condemning far-right extremists signed by 33,000 people". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  25. ^ Woodall, Woodall. "Fighting the far right". The Young Fabian Blog. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  26. ^ Chakelian, Anoosh. "Hope Not Hate's target audience is women". Total Politics. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  27. ^ a b Clausen, Henrik (15 April 2012). ""HOPE not hate" Publicizes the Counterjihad Network". Europe News. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  28. ^ a b Townsend, Mark (14 April 2012). "Far-right anti-Muslim network on rise globally as Breivik trial opens". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  29. ^ a b Lowles, Nick. "Counter-Jihad Report". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  30. ^ Townsend, Mark (1 September 2012). "British far-right extremists voice support for Anders Breivik". The Observer. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  31. ^ "Fear and HOPE survey". Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  32. ^ Readings, George (28 February 2011). "Searchlight's 'Fear and Hope' paints a fascinating and concerning picture". Left Foot Forward. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  33. ^ Elgot, Jessica. "Labour Must Stand Up Against Immigration Hate Speech, Says Hope Not Hate's Nick Lowles". Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  34. ^ Fekete, Liz. "Grooming: An Open Letter to Nick Lowles". Institute of Race Relations. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  35. ^ Lowles, Nick. "Opposing UKIP We Could But Should We". Opposing UKIP, we could but should we?. HOPE not hate. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  36. ^ Humph, The. "'HOPE not hate' can't be serious with this Ukip question, can it?". The Commentator. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  37. ^ Nye, Catrin (10 May 2013). "Grooming 'coalition' launched to tackle child sex abuse". BBC. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  38. ^ "US bloggers banned from entering UK". BBC. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  39. ^ "Anti-Muslim pair banned from UK". Daily Express. UK. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  40. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (26 June 2013). "Anti-Ground Zero Mosque campaigners Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer barred from entering Britain to speak at an EDL rally". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  41. ^ Lowles, Nick (26 February 2011). "What Britons really think about immigration". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  42. ^ Lowles, Nick. "Fear and HOPE". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  43. ^ http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/shop/cablest
  44. ^ "Third Successive Year for Mirror's Hope Not Hate Tour – Trinity Mirror plc". Trinitymirror.com. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  45. ^ "Eddie Izzard joins Hope Not Hate anti-racism party". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  46. ^ "Daily Mirror Hope not Hate anti-racism campaign gets under way". The Guardian. London. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hope_not_Hate&oldid=566723645"