Britons pierce through post-EU racism with simple #SafetyPin

Britons pierce through post-EU racism with simple #SafetyPin
Racism in Britain has increased by 57 percent since it decided to leave the European Union, but thousands believe a simple #SafetyPin could help soothe the wounds.
Society
1 min read
The New Arab
02 July, 2016
The campaign has gained traction with thousands of Britons donning the #SafetyPin
A new campaign has launched to tackle racism in post-EU referendum Britain as xenophobic and anti-Islam sentiment continues to rise.

#SafetyPin is an initiative set up by Twitter user Allison who is urging Britons to wear a simple safety pin to showcase solidarity with those being verbally and physically attacked in the wake of the EU referendum result.

"The idea being that anyone against the sort of nationalistic, racist violence we've been seeing could identify themselves as a "safe" ally," Allison tweeted.

The campaign took off with nearly 30,000 users sharing #SafetyPin – boosting the hashtag to a worldwide trend on last week.

Users from across Britain began tweeting pictures of themselves donning the humble safety pins in solidarity, however many suggested it was not enough to battle racism against the immigrant population.

More than 331 hate crime incidents were reported to a national online portal since the referendum hit the headlines last week, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) revealed, compared to the weekly average of 63. 

 

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