UK charities say toxic immigration rhetoric leading to threats against staff | Far right

Charities have warned of increasing racist abuse, intimidation and threats of violence against their staff and beneficiaries due to increasingly toxic rhetoric about immigration and race from politicians and extremist activists.

Voluntary organizations say they have been forced to take extensive security measures to protect staff and property after being targeted; It’s a trend one charity chief has described as being in danger of becoming the “new normal”.

Refugee and asylum seeker charities, Muslim, Jewish and ethnic minority organisations, women’s groups, youth organisations, homelessness charities and even charity shops have reported being subjected to violence, threats and harassment.

Incidents include threats to rape and kill staff, verbal and physical abuse of beneficiaries on the street, attempts to break into charity accommodation, and vandalism and damage to offices, including anti-immigrant and racist graffiti.

Saskia Konynenburg, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said charities were “targeted because of what they stand for and who they support”.

Aid agencies say the threat has become more clear and targeted since the far-right Southport riots in 2024 and the spread of incendiary political and social media rhetoric around migrants and “small boats”. They add that the way abuse is expressed or perpetrated both online and offline is becoming more extreme and unrestrained.

A coalition of more than 150 charities, including Age UK, Citizens Advice and the Muslim Council of Britain, have written to prime minister Keir Starmer, urging him to oppose the “cynical” targeting of civil society organizations by far-right politicians and activists who seek to fuel division in local communities for political gain.

Ali Harris, CEO of the Equality and Human Rights Charity Equally oursThe organization that organized the letter said: “The devastating antisemitic attack at Heaton Park Synagogue is a tragic reminder that it has never been more important for all of us to stand together when any of our communities are targeted.

“We are taking this collective stance because the organizations in this coalition and the communities we serve are subject to increasing threats and aggression in houses of worship, offices, shops, public transport and on main streets. People with extremist views are increasingly using violence to express or act on hatred.”

Increasingly widespread political discourse about the political right, which belittles immigrants and refugees and fuels social divisions along ethnic lines, has created a “permission structure” for racism that has emboldened far-right activists, a charity chief executive has told the Guardian.

Last month, a drug and alcohol charity in east London, which had previously shared its property with a refugee support charity, Covered with George Cross and far-right graffiti. Volunteers repainted the front of the office, only for far-right activists to return and deface the building with the slogan “East London stands for Southport”, a reference to the far-right riots in Southport in 2024.

Some charities have taken serious safeguards in response to threats, such as installing safe rooms, installing phone trackers on staff, employing security guards, removing charity signage outside offices, removing staff names from websites and removing trustee names from public Charity Commission files.

Others have temporarily closed their offices on the advice of local police, stopped providing outreach services due to the potential danger to staff and beneficiaries, and prepared contingency plans in case their facilities are attacked.

The head of a refugee aid organization said they currently spend “60 percent of their time managing security issues related to far-right activism.” Another charity told the Guardian it was considering spending thousands of pounds on personal safety devices. A strict focus on staff safety has been described as the “new normal” by the head of a charity.

The chief executive of a charity working with asylum seekers in London, who, like many people the Guardian spoke to, asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said the threats had had a chilling effect but staff were determined to carry on: “We do what we do because we care, and the people we support have been through terrible things and they deserve some kindness.”

The letter, sent to the prime minister last week, called on the government to provide “clear and consistent leadership” to defend the values ​​of inclusion, equality and anti-racism, and to “take a stand against division and hatred” fueled by politicians scapegoating communities for political gain.

“We are witnessing the serious damage inflicted on people of all backgrounds by the far right’s cynical spread of division and hostility across societies, its undermining of the rule of law, and its weaponization of violence against women and girls.”

The report adds: “We face increasing racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and antisemitism on the streets and in the workplace, including harassment of charity staff and charity volunteers, along with media attacks and threats of violence against lawyers and civil society groups working with immigrants and other marginalized communities.”

A government spokesman said: “Racism is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society. This government is proud of our tolerant and diverse country and we are committed to tackling the roots of inequality, including working closely with ethnic minority leaders to deliver change.”

“We have a strong legal framework to deal with perpetrators of racism and other hate crimes, and we expect those responsible for these heinous crimes to be brought to justice.”