Stop Funding Hate opposes all forms of hatred
Last year, Stop Funding Hate was honoured to win an award in memory of Jo Cox MP, a fearless human rights campaigner murdered by a Neo-Nazi, who died protecting her colleagues.
This year’s nominees include Luciana Berger MP, who has faced down shocking anti-Semitic abuse and violent threats – including death threats which specifically referenced the murder of Jo Cox.
History has taught us the danger of allowing such hatred to go unchallenged.
Stop Funding Hate is premised on the idea that the only way to defeat hate and discrimination is to unreservedly oppose all forms of hatred and stand with everyone who is attacked because of their identity.
Hate is a threat to our democracy
Seven decades ago, millions of people from our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generation gave their lives fighting a murderous ideology with anti-Semitic hatred at its core.
Now the far-right is again resurgent worldwide. Where the Nazis used radio and film, today’s extremists are weaponising social media to spread their messages of hate.
These efforts seek to weaken our democracy and divide our society by turning communities against each other. Amid record levels of hate crime, and shocking abuse online, it is incumbent on all of us to push back.
Since we started the Stop Funding Hate campaign, we’ve been appalled by the hatred that we ourselves have witnessed on Twitter, including numerous extreme examples of anti-Semitism and neo-Nazi messaging. We have also seen many instances of anti-Muslim hatred, racism, misogyny, hate directed at trans people and the wider LGBTI community – and appalling evidence of hate speech towards disabled people. This has formed part of a pattern in which all forms of hatred – up to and including incitement to genocide – have become normalised online.
In the US, the Sleeping Giants campaign – which shares many of our aims, and has been a strong supporter of Stop Funding Hate – has published horrific evidence of the anti-Semitic hatred directed at them by the US far-right, simply because of the identity of the Sleeping Giants founder.
Amnesty International has published a detailed investigation highlighting the extent to which women are targeted on Twitter, and the impact that this is having on freedom of expression.
Amnesty has highlighted in particular the online abuse directed towards women MPs – a huge proportion of which has focussed on Diane Abbott MP – and has raised concerns about the wider impact this is having on our public life.
Challenging hate should go beyond politics
Stop Funding Hate is founded on the principle that challenging hate can and should go beyond politics. We have no position on any party-political issue and we are proud to have support from across the political spectrum. Whatever people’s political differences, we believe that it must be possible for issues to be debated without threats and personal abuse.
It should not be controversial to highlight and oppose anti-Semitic and misogynistic hatred towards an elected MP. We make no apology for doing so.
We are proud to partner with the #No2H8 Crime Awards and wish all nominees well at this week’s event.