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The Hug A Brit movement was an independent social media campaign around the British EU membership referendum in June 2016.[1][2][3]

Overview

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Founded by a group of Londoners with continental roots, the aim was to send the British people a "love bomb" to make them stay in the European Union.[4] Europeans were hugging Brits and posting images of it on social media to encourage a Remain vote in the referendum. Photos and videos of those hugs were shared via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and also became very popular in the traditional media in Britain and internationally.[5][6][7] The campaign went viral just before the referendum in April and May 2016.[8][9] Despite a strong voice in the media, the campaign was not able to turn around the vote, which resulted in an overall decision to leave the EU.[10][11][12][13]

Positioning

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While the official Remain and Leave campaigns focused mainly on the economy and migration,[14][15][16] Hug A Brit became a significant part of the referendum campaigns by putting positive emotions in the centre. Instead of negative campaigning and scaremongering, the movement focused on personal stories and relationships and was therefore recognised widely as a positive outlier.

Nigel Farage

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While Hug A Brit strongly advocated for a Remain vote, it did not exclude Eurosceptics from hugging. On April 15 Birgit Maass, Co-Initiator of the movement, hugged leading Leave campaigner Nigel Farage live on BBC Television.[17]

Founding members

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Hug A Brit was founded by a group of European nationals living in the United Kingdom, without political affiliations to any party nor support or external funding.[11]

After the EU referendum, the group's activity decreased. It is not known if further campaigns are planned around the British exit negotiations with the European Union.

The Europe State Award

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#Hugabrit was nominated for the Europe State Award 2016 by the Austrian ministry for Foreign and European Affairs. The Europe State Award is an acknowledgement of initiatives that contribute towards promoting understanding of the EU and cohesion in Europe.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Staff; agencies (13 April 2016). "Brexit: Hug a Brit campaign aims to convince Britons to remain in EU". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  2. ^ Alex; Fellow, ra Ma Editorial; Post, The Huffington (11 April 2016). "Europeans Are Literally Hugging Brits To Try To Stop Brexit". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Europeans launch 'Hug a Brit' campaign to persuade UK to stay in EU". Evening Standard. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Europeans in London launch 'Hug a Brit' campaign to stop Brexit". The Independent. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  5. ^ Kantchev, Georgi (15 May 2016). "Before You Vote on 'Brexit,' How About a Hug?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Video: European 'Hug a Brit' Campaign Launches". ABC News. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  7. ^ Tim Hume (13 April 2016). "Europeans 'Hug a Brit' to urge them to stay". CNN. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  8. ^ Banks, Emily. "Swiss Cottage mum's pro-Europe Hug a Brit campaign goes viral". Hampstead Highgate Express. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Social media embraces 'Hug a Brit' campaign as anti-Brexit initiative goes viral". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  10. ^ Polonski, Vyacheslav (15 May 2016). "Social Media Voices in the UK's EU Referendum". Medium. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b Dowling, Tim (7 April 2016). "Britain, prepare to be love-bombed by Europe". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  12. ^ Monde.fr, Le (24 May 2016). "Il ne suffira pas de faire des câlins aux Anglais pour qu'ils restent dans l'Union européenne". Le Monde.fr (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Abrace a un británico". EL PAÍS (in Spanish). 30 May 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  14. ^ "40 facts on what happens after the EU referendum". The Independent. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  15. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (23 June 2016). "Brexit isn't about economics. It's about xenophobia". Vox. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Immigration backlash at the heart of British push to leave the E.U." Washington Post. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Nigel Farage hugs #hugabrit campaign EU supporter". BBC. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  18. ^ "The Europe State Award – BMEIA, Außenministerium Österreich". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
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