Nonprofit leaders in UK & France speak out against far right

Nonprofit leaders across the UK have spoken out against a recent swathe of far right rioting and violence in the country.

The rioting followed a knife attack in the town of Stockport where three young girls were killed and nine injured, including two adults. As well as some premises being damaged, including a Citizens Advice office that was set alight, UK nonprofits reported being fearful for staff, volunteers and service users who had suffered abuse and been left traumatised.

Groups and individuals speak out in UK

Individuals and organisations across the sector have spoken out against the rioting and violence, including the Civil Society Group, which numbers more than 60 charities, voluntary and faith groups, community organisations, membership and other sector organisations, including EFA member the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. In a statement, the group said:

“As a group of civil society leaders, we reject and condemn the actions of those involved in the recent wave of violence.  This violent and vociferous minority, fuelled by hatred, Islamophobia and misinformation, act in direct contrast to the values of a fair, just and inclusive society.

“Staff and volunteers working in civil society organisations will be feeling the same sense of shock and horror at the events of the past week that we are all experiencing, particularly those who are working with Muslim communities, or with migrants and refugees.”

They added:

“Civil society exists to make the world a better place – championing the voices of those who experience disadvantage and exclusion, providing lifeline services, and working to achieve social justice and cohesion.

“Civil society leaders will play a leading role in the community response to this violent unrest – supporting those most affected, redoubling their efforts to maintain continuity, and playing their part in healing the harms caused by this lawless minority.”

AFF president calls far right ‘a risk for the whole sector’

In France, the president of the Association Française des Fundraisers  warned earlier this summer that the far right poses a “threat” to French society as a whole and that a far right government presents a “clear risk” for many charities.

Jonathan Hude-Dufossé was speaking at an AFF event on Tuesday 25 June, ahead of the first round of voting in elections to the French Parliament on Sunday 30 June. His speech was published on the AFF website on 4 July, ahead of the second round of voting.

AFF has also released data showing that supporters of the Rally National (RN) are less likely than other voters to give to charity – and that non-donors are the most likely to support the far-right party led by Jordan Bardella.

In his speech, Hude-Dufossé cited an example from the North-Eastern town of Hayange, saying that after voters gave the far-right RN control of its town hall, the local premises of anti-poverty charity Secours populaire français had its gas and electricity cut off for “more than a year”.

He said that this particular charity had “lost food destined for the 1,000 beneficiaries of its work”, and that an RN administration at a national level would pose “a clear risk for all associations that make a difference for the most vulnerable, precarious, minority or minoritised populations” – saying that the risk was particularly strong for women and gender minorities, and migrants.

Noting that 3,105 people had died in the Mediterranean last year, while 2,299 had been saved by the NGO SOS Méditerranée in the same period, he asked: “How many more deaths would we have to count if the far right had already been in power and further hindered the vital, humanitarian work of this association?”

The AFF president acknowledged that he was making “a more political statement than usual for an organisation in the philanthropy sector in France”, warning that “silences are noisy and endorse, by omission, the risks to come” amid the RN’s increased popularity.

The AFF’s data on voting and donating follows data from Germany reported by Fundraising Europe earlier this year, which also showed that voters for far-right AfD were the least generous.

Donors were almost twice as likely to vote for left-wing parties than non-donors, according to the AFF survey of 1,400 people, carried out in partnership with the agency LIMITE. The agency’s founder Laurent Terrisse said that RN’s ‘base’ of supporters had never been big givers, but that the sector faced a challenge retaining the generosity of those who had recently switched their support to the party. He commented:

“More than ever, it will be necessary in messaging, in evidence and in the way charities offer engagement with these groups, to prove to them that your organisations can address their concerns and support their aspirations.”

Photo by Maurício Mascaro on Pexels