Hope vs the far-right
How UK civil society is using difficult conversations and small acts of kindness to bridge divisions
In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises there is a famous exchange between two characters. “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly”.
I was reminded of this recently when discussing the reasons why people are drawn to the far-right. For some it can be triggered by a single event, for others a build up of experiences and perceived grievances over time.
In the UK, leaders such as Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage have successfully tapped into this sense of anger and disillusionment to dramatically grow their support. Over 100,000 people turned out last autumn for Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march through London - the biggest ever turnout for a far-right rally - while Reform UK is currently leading in the polls and on course to form the next government. In a sign of how they have already shifted the Overton Window, other parties have rushed to adopt their anti-immigrant message and views for so long deemed extreme have been mainstreamed at both a national and local level.
For this edition of REWIRE Democracy I spoke to Anki Deo from HOPE not hate, the UK’s leading anti-fascist organisation, about what is driving support for the far-right and how research, community engagement and small acts of hope and kindness can help counter the divisive narratives fuelling it.
From understanding hate to building hope
Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde defines the “populist radical right” as one that challenges liberal democratic principles such as minority rights and rule of law. Operating as “anti-system” within the system, these actors use what he calls “cultural backlash” to link fear of the “other” with economic and national decline.
For HOPE not hate, understanding what drives these views is the first step to countering them.
“We aren’t always the people that we’re trying to shift”, said Anki. “We’re not always experiencing the same things, and we don’t have the same attitudes, so we really need to look at the mindsets and experiences that they bring into their support for the far-right, or their persuadability towards the far-right.”
“We use data a lot to try and make sure that our work is more evidence-informed.” - Anki Deo
HOPE not hate has shown how those drawn to Reform are made up of a coalition of voters (The Working Right, Hardline Conservatives, Squeezed Stewards, Contrarian Youth and Reluctant Reformers) that, far from having a unified set of priorities, are deeply divided on issues ranging from the economy, climate, and even immigration.
“What makes us slightly unique is the way that we collect data about the far-right and the continuous monitoring work that we do”, said Anki. “This is unusual for an organization of our type, because it kind of looks a bit like a think tank, but then does very journalistic, almost open source intelligence work”.
“The other is in the use of data to do very, low-level localised campaigning.”
This allows HOPE not hate to target specific Reform-leaning demographics with different messages that tap into their concerns and start to rebuild declining community cohesion, one of the main drivers of the far-right’s growing popularity.
“At the root of it is that people feel really negative about the country as a whole. But actually, when you ask people, do you like mixing with people from other backgrounds, or do you think immigration has been good or bad, there’s actually a lot more people who are somewhere in the middle.”
“And then we use what we know about people’s voting preferences and where people are, and then also things like age and gender, to try and persuade them with messages that will help.”
Having Difficult Conversations
While HOPE not hate’s research and investigations have exposed the far-right networks targeting progressive activists and even foiled plots to commit acts of violence, its communities work remains deliberately non-partisan.
“I think on a person-to-person level, that willingness is really there, and it’s actually when the arguments are politicised, particularly in the online space, that those human tendencies really break down. It’s then you just see people slinging mud at each other and the loudest voices come to the fore.” - Anki Deo
One of the ways the organisation tries to counter this is through its Difficult Conversations training. Often conducted in partnership with trade unions, these sessions offer practices for dealing with extremist views in the workplace, seeking to understand people’s perspectives to help change mindsets, without relying on “myth-busting” techniques.
At a local level, HOPE not hate partners with organisations like Who is Your Neighbour? Based in the North of England where anti-immigrant sentiment is growing, they facilitate small group conversations (community mediations) where people speak about their experiences and listen to others do the same.
“It’s part of a wider package for us looking at what it means to be an organisation that actually is serious about engaging with the far-right at the community level,” said Anki.
Check out our previous Substack on Impossible Conversations: a tool for changemakers to explore how creative reflection can support emotional resilience in divided societies.
A Million Acts of Hope
Building on the simple idea that there is far more that connects us than divides us, a new non-partisan nationwide campaign has been launched bringing together more than 30 UK organisations and charities, as well as community and faith groups.
A Million Acts of Hope aims to spotlight and strengthen everyday acts that often go unsung or unreported - from litter picking to foodbank volunteering to children’s sports coaching – to present an alternative to those voices that seek to spread hate and separate communities.
“Its all of these values that we know everyone in the UK has”, said Anki, “but it’s gently, and in a non-political way, asking the question: who actually has our best interests at heart? Who is trying to support us?”
A Million Acts of Hopes culminates in a week of action from 13 - 20 May, following local and devolved elections on 7 May.
To learn more about the campaign or get involved head HERE.
How has hope helped you or someone you know challenge the far-right in your area or country? Leave your comments here.