Hope not Hate

Hope not Hate was founded in 2004 by Nick Lowles, former editor of the anti-fascist Searchlight magazine.{{cite news|last=Bright|first=Martin|title=Tragedy of a serious split between anti-fascists|url=http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/analysis/71112/tragedy-a-serious-split-between-anti-fascists|access-date=22 October 2012|newspaper=The Jewish Chronicle|date=9 August 2012|archive-date=20 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020021652/http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/analysis/71112/tragedy-a-serious-split-between-anti-fascists|url-status=live}}{{cite web | last=Laver | first=Adam | title=Attorney General to review extremist's classic novel sentence | website=LincolnshireLive | date=2021-09-03 | url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/attorney-general-asked-review-sentence-5866754 | access-date=2021-10-01 | archive-date=1 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001110808/https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/attorney-general-asked-review-sentence-5866754 | url-status=live }} Having experienced street racism as a child, Lowles became involved with the anti-fascist movement as a student volunteer at Sheffield University.{{cite web|url=https://charity.hopenothate.org.uk/team|title=Our team|access-date=25 September 2019|work=Hope Not Hate|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402222309/https://charity.hopenothate.org.uk/team|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://youruniversity.group.shef.ac.uk/2017-2018/alumni-notes-and-news/honours-and-awards/index.html|title=Alumni Honours|access-date=25 September 2019|work=Sheffield University|archive-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925082440/https://youruniversity.group.shef.ac.uk/2017-2018/alumni-notes-and-news/honours-and-awards/index.html|url-status=live}} Lowles had previously worked as a freelance investigative journalist, working for television programmes including BBC Panorama, World in Action, Channel Four Dispatches and MacIntyre Undercover. Between 1999 and 2011 Lowles was co-editor, and then editor, of Searchlight magazine. He was awarded an MBE in 2016 for his services in tackling extremism.

The Deputy Director is Jemma Levene,{{cite news|url=https://charity.hopenothate.org.uk/team|title=Meet the team|access-date=5 August 2019|work=Hope not Hate|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402222309/https://charity.hopenothate.org.uk/team|url-status=dead}} who previously worked as Head of Campaigns at Jewish cultural education charity SEED, and at the Orthodox Union in New York.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/jemma-levene/|title=Jemma Levene|access-date=5 August 2019|work=Jewish News|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622084921/https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/jemma-levene/|url-status=live}} The Political Organiser is Liron Velleman, Policy Officer for the Jewish Labour Movement.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/liron-velleman/|title=Liron Velleman|access-date=16 May 2020|work=Jewish News|archive-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420145458/https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/liron-velleman/|url-status=live}}

Hope not Hate functioned as part of Searchlight until 2011, when the organisations split.{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=The Future of HOPE not hate|url=http://www.socialistunity.com/the-future-of-hope-not-hate/|publisher=Socialist Unity|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=20 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720071223/http://www.socialistunity.com/the-future-of-hope-not-hate/|url-status=usurped}}{{cite web | title=About | website=Searchlight | date=2020-12-31 | url=https://www.searchlightmagazine.com/about/ | access-date=2021-10-01 | archive-date=1 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001110800/https://www.searchlightmagazine.com/about/ | url-status=live }} As a standalone organisation, Hope not Hate took with it two of the three units of Searchlight: Searchlight Educational Trust (SET), a charity; and Searchlight Information Services (SIS), its research and investigative function. The organisation now consists of Hope not Hate Educational Ltd (a charitable wing) and Hope not Hate Ltd (focused on campaigning and investigative work).{{cite web|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/who-we-are/organisation/|work=Hope not Hate|title=Hope not hate structure|access-date=25 April 2014|archive-date=26 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234136/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/who-we-are/organisation/|url-status=live}} From 2010 to 2015,{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/newest-jewish-mp-ruth-smeeth-says-victory-was-bittersweet-1.66620|title=Newest Jewish MP Ruth Smeeth says victory was 'bittersweet'|last=Dysch|first=Marcus|date=12 May 2015|website=The Jewish Chronicle|access-date=12 May 2015|archive-date=25 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025133517/https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/newest-jewish-mp-ruth-smeeth-says-victory-was-bittersweet-1.66620|url-status=live}} Ruth Smeeth worked as Deputy Director; since then, she has been a director.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=25435|title=Ruth Smeeth|access-date=24 July 2019|work=They Work for You|archive-date=6 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906155754/https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=25435|url-status=live}}

HNH is funded by parochial money, charitable trusts, trade union funding and individual donations.

During late 2012 and early 2013, the Searchlight Educational Trust (SET), which later renamed itself to Hope not Hate Educational (HNH Ed: the charitable wing of Hope not Hate),{{cite web|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/who-we-are/organisation/|work=Hope not Hate|title=Hope not hate structure|access-date=22 March 2015|ref=hnhwho|archive-date=14 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314231432/http://hopenothate.org.uk/who-we-are/organisation/|url-status=live}}) received three separate payments totaling £66,000 thanks to a funding agreement signed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Conditions in the funding agreement prohibited the funds to be spent on anything other than "educational work", which also included a prohibition on political campaigning. The focus of the allocated funds was to establish community partnerships in four key areas which were prone to EDL activity, including sharing positive local stories and strengthening community bonds.{{cite web|title=Funding of Hope Not Hate|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/funding_of_hope_not_hate#incoming-482247|website=WhatDoTheyKnow|date=5 July 2013 |access-date=22 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145901/https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/funding_of_hope_not_hate#incoming-482247|url-status=live}}

{{Progressivism}}The organisation encourages voters to support alternatives to far-right extremist movements; it also publishes allegations of violent activities by anti-Muslim organisations{{cite web|last=Woolley|first=Simon|title=Hope not hate secure EDL conviction|url=http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/hope-not-hate-secure-edl-conviction|publisher=OBV|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-date=4 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804215821/http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/hope-not-hate-secure-edl-conviction|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=EDL leader threatens to broadcast anti-Muslim film|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2168/edl-leader-threatens-to-broadcast-anti-muslim-film|publisher=HOPE not hate|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029033408/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2168/edl-leader-threatens-to-broadcast-anti-muslim-film|archive-date=29 October 2012|url-status=dead}} such as the English Defence League. It presented a 90,000-person petition to the European Parliament protesting against the election of Nick Griffin as an MEP.{{cite web |url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/?page=home |title=HOPE not hate |publisher=HOPE not hate |date=11 May 2009 |access-date=9 October 2009 |archive-date=25 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825220809/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/?page=home |url-status=live }}

Following the murder of Jo Cox, Hope not Hate launched a nationwide #MoreInCommon campaign, with the blessing of the MP's family, hosting meetings across the UK which focused on healing divisions which were caused by the EU Referendum, culminating in 85+ events on the weekend of 3/4 September 2016.{{cite news|last1=Wynne-Jones|first1=Ros|title=Harlow murder makes Jo Cox's wise words matter even more|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/harlow-murder-makes-jo-coxs-8751818|access-date=11 January 2017|publisher=The Mirror|date=1 September 2016|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118072509/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/harlow-murder-makes-jo-coxs-8751818|url-status=live}} In December 2016 The Guardian newspaper joined a Hope not Hate training workshop, revealing the work which was undertaken by its community workers on the doorsteps in south Wales.{{cite news|last1=Shabi|first1=Rachel|title=What does Hope not Hate actually do?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/23/challenging-prejudice-constructively-hope-not-hate|access-date=11 January 2017|work=The Guardian|date=23 December 2016|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032016/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/23/challenging-prejudice-constructively-hope-not-hate|url-status=live}}

The organisation has increasingly focused on community-based campaigning, with a particular focus on building what it calls "community resilience"{{cite web|last=Woodall |first=Louie |title=Fighting the far right |url=http://www.youngfabians.org.uk/blog/index.php/2012/09/25/fighting-the-far-right/|publisher=The Young Fabian Blog |access-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235522/http://www.youngfabians.org.uk/blog/index.php/2012/09/25/fighting-the-far-right/ |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead}} and focusing more on women voters.{{cite web|last=Chakelian|first=Anoosh|title=Hope Not Hate's target audience is women|url=http://www.totalpolitics.com/campaigns/326427/hope-not-hateand39s-target-audience-is-women.thtml|publisher=Total Politics|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818060348/http://www.totalpolitics.com/campaigns/326427/hope-not-hateand39s-target-audience-is-women.thtml|archive-date=18 August 2012|url-status=dead}} It has launched initiatives in support of British foods, Hate Crime Awareness Week, and reported extensively on the activities of the anti-Muslim counterjihad movement of Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and bloggers such as "Fjordman".{{cite news|last=Townsend|first=Mark|title=Far-right anti-Muslim network on rise globally as Breivik trial opens|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/14/breivik-trial-norway-mass-murderer|access-date=29 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 April 2012|archive-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305010343/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/14/breivik-trial-norway-mass-murderer|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lowles |first=Nick |title=Counter-Jihad Report |url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/counter-jihad/ |publisher=HOPE not hate |access-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705190727/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/counter-jihad/ |archive-date=5 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }} It linked hundreds of EDL and National Front supporters in this network with support for the Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik.{{cite news|last=Townsend|first=Mark|title=British far-right extremists voice support for Anders Breivik|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/sep/01/far-right-support-anders-breivik|access-date=22 October 2012|newspaper=The Observer|date=1 September 2012|archive-date=11 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911044852/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/sep/01/far-right-support-anders-breivik|url-status=live}}

In 2012, the group published original research which looked at the attitudes of voters towards far-right political parties in the UK, which concluded that nearly half of those who were polled by a Populus Ltd survey supported the creation of an English nationalist, anti-Muslim political party.{{cite web|title=Fear and HOPE survey|url=http://www.fearandhope.org.uk/executive-summary/|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-date=20 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820171558/http://www.fearandhope.org.uk/executive-summary/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Readings|first=George|title=Searchlight's 'Fear and Hope' paints a fascinating and concerning picture|url=http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/02/searchlight-fear-and-hope-report/|access-date=1 December 2012|newspaper=Left Foot Forward|date=28 February 2011|archive-date=6 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606053759/http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/02/searchlight-fear-and-hope-report/|url-status=live}} Nick Lowles claimed in 2012 that politicians, including the Labour Party, need to address the way they talk about immigration and move away from encouraging "hate speech".{{cite web|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|title=Labour Must Stand Up Against Immigration Hate Speech, Says Hope Not Hate's Nick Lowles|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/06/labour-immigration-hope-not-hate_n_2253365.html|work=The Huffington Post|date=6 December 2012|access-date=11 December 2012|archive-date=11 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211081110/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/06/labour-immigration-hope-not-hate_n_2253365.html|url-status=live}} Liz Fekete, of the Institute of Race Relations, has said that Lowles has not taken a hard enough line in rejecting narratives that portray Muslim men as disproportionately responsible for child sexual grooming.{{cite web|last=Fekete|first=Liz|title=Grooming: An Open Letter to Nick Lowles|date=16 November 2012 |url=http://www.irr.org.uk/news/grooming-an-open-letter-to-nick-lowles/|publisher=Institute of Race Relations|access-date=11 December 2012|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032131/https://irr.org.uk/article/grooming-an-open-letter-to-nick-lowles/|url-status=live}}

The organisation updated its research in February 2016, noting that: "Respondents to the new [http://www.fearandhope.org.uk/ Fear and HOPE 2016] survey were much more positive about personal and national progress, more economically secure, and less anxious about identity change." A [http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/features/fear-and-hope-3/ further poll], one week after the Brexit vote, revealed that nearly two-thirds (63%) of those polled believed Britain was "more divided as a result of the Referendum vote and more people think there are more tensions between communities than when asked the same question in February".

Following a 26,000 signature petition which Hope not Hate handed to the UK Home Secretary, on 26 June 2013, the US-based anti-Muslim bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller were banned from entering the UK.{{cite news|title=US bloggers banned from entering UK|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23064355|access-date=27 June 2013|publisher=BBC|date=26 June 2013|archive-date=21 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421222117/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23064355|url-status=live}} Geller and Spencer had been due to speak at an English Defence League march in Woolwich, south London, where Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered. Home Secretary Theresa May informed Spencer and Geller that their presence in the UK would "not be conducive to the public good".{{cite news|last=Rawlinson|first=Kevin|title=Anti-Ground Zero Mosque campaigners Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer barred from entering Britain to speak at an EDL rally|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/antiground-zero-mosque-campaigners-pamela-geller-and-robert-spencer-barred-from-entering-britain-to-speak-at-an-edl-rally-8675251.html|access-date=27 June 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=26 June 2013|location=London|archive-date=24 May 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/antiground-zero-mosque-campaigners-pamela-geller-and-robert-spencer-barred-from-entering-britain-to-speak-at-an-edl-rally-8675251.html|url-status=live}} The decision, which they cannot appeal, may be reviewed in between three and five years.{{cite news|last=Elgot|first=Jessico|title=Pamela Geller And Robert Spencer Banned From The UK By Home Office, Due To Speak At EDL Woolwich Rally|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/26/pamela-geller-banned_n_3503307.html|access-date=18 November 2013|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=26 June 2013|archive-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128190927/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/26/pamela-geller-banned_n_3503307.html|url-status=live}} Similarly, Hope Not Hate condemned an EDL solidarity demonstration outside the Israeli embassy to which they had invited an American rabbi, with Lowles writing "While many in the Jewish community have understandable concerns about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, it is important to remember that the EDL are not our friends".{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/we-must-stand-together-on-this-1.18830?highlight=nick+lowles|title=We must stand together on this|last=Lowles|first=Nick|date=14 October 2010|access-date=25 September 2019|work=The Jewish Chronicle|archive-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925095545/https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/we-must-stand-together-on-this-1.18830?highlight=nick+lowles|url-status=live}}

In 2013, Hope not Hate was one of the founding organisations of an anti-child sexual exploitation initiative called CAASE (Community Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation), featuring many Muslim and Christian organisations, victim support groups, survivors organisations, and local community networks. The network was founded in response to multiple "grooming" cases which were reported by the British press.{{cite news|last=Nye|first=Catrin|title=Grooming 'coalition' launched to tackle child sex abuse|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22462832|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=BBC|date=10 May 2013|archive-date=9 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609133552/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22462832|url-status=live}}

In October 2021, the organisation revealed that a Conservative Party borough councillor and activist Tim Wills in Worthing was also a supporter of the far-right and racist organisation Patriotic Alternative. The party announced that "Cllr Tim Wills has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation".{{cite news|last=Quinn|first=Ben|title=Tory councillor in Worthing suspended over alleged support of far right|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/07/tory-councillor-in-worthing-suspended-over-alleged-support-of-far-right|access-date=7 October 2021|newspaper=Guardian|date=7 October 2021|archive-date=9 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009024208/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/oct/07/tory-councillor-in-worthing-suspended-over-alleged-support-of-far-right|url-status=live}}

In 2023 Hope not Hate uncovered allegedly inflammatory historic social media posts made by Tory London mayoral candidate, Susan Hall.{{Cite web |url=https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/09/15/susan-hall-conservative-candidate-for-london-mayors-social-media-exposed/ |title=www.hopenothate.org.uk |date=14 September 2023 |access-date=18 September 2023 |archive-date=19 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919081833/https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/09/15/susan-hall-conservative-candidate-for-london-mayors-social-media-exposed/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30plq6j95po.amp | title=Deputy mayor apologises over tweets calling Susan Hall a racist | date=25 October 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/07/most-londoners-think-tory-mayoral-candidate-susan-hall-social-media-activity-is-racist-poll-finds | title=Most Londoners think Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall's social media activity is racist, poll finds | work=The Observer | date=7 October 2023 | last1=Townsend | first1=Mark }}{{cite web | url=https://news.sky.com/story/susan-hall-tory-london-mayoral-candidate-liked-tweets-praising-enoch-powell-12961850 | title=Susan Hall: Tory London mayoral candidate liked tweets praising Enoch Powell }}

In October 2024, the documentary "Undercover: Exposing the Far Right" was aired on Channel 4.{{Cite web|author=Latif, Leila|date=2024|title=Undercover: Exposing the Far Right review – the bravest documentary of the year so far|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/oct/22/undercover-exposing-the-far-right-review-the-bravest-documentary-of-the-year-so-far|website=The Guardian|language=en-GB|archive-date=October 22, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241022012929/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/oct/22/undercover-exposing-the-far-right-review-the-bravest-documentary-of-the-year-so-far|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|author=Wilson, Benji|date=2024|title=Undercover: Exposing the Far Right, review: unsettling investigation that plays like a spy thriller|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/undercover-exposing-the-far-right-channel-4-review/|website=The Telegraph|language=en-GB|archive-date=October 22, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241022003828/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/undercover-exposing-the-far-right-channel-4-review/|url-status=live}} The documentary features undercover footage obtained from Hope not Hate journalist Harry Shukman and researcher Patrik Hermansson of well-funded far-right activists from the Human Diversity Foundation (HDF).{{Cite web|author=Thorpe, Vanessa|date=2024|title=Undercover film exposing UK far-right activists pulled from London festival|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/19/undercover-film-exposing-uk-far-right-activists-pulled-from-london-film-festival|website=The Guardian|language=en-GB|archive-date=October 19, 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241019142724/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/19/undercover-film-exposing-uk-far-right-activists-pulled-from-london-film-festival|url-status=live}} The foundation uses research papers, podcasts and websites to promote discredited "race science". Undercover footage unmasked far-right activist and former private school teacher Matthew Frost, a leader of HDF and his connections to Andrew Conru who had funded the foundation with more than $1million.

In November 2013, the organisation unveiled research into the al-Muhajiroun Islamic extremist network. In a 60-page report, Gateway to Terror, it wrote that with its partner networks al-Muhajiroun had sent up to 300 fighters to Syria. It linked a further seventy individuals to terrorism offences or suicide bombings, and gave details of links to the Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya, connections to al-Shabaab and a plot by French security services to kill Abu Hamza in the late 1990s.{{cite web|last=Joe Mulhall|first=Nick Lowles|title=Gateway To Terror|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/al-muhajiroun/|publisher=HOPE not hate|access-date=29 November 2013|archive-date=14 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214150129/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/al-muhajiroun/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Sophie Robehmed|first=Ian Johnston|title=Gateway to terror: British Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary 'sent hundreds to join al-Qa'ida in Syria'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/gateway-to-terror-british-islamic-preacher-anjem-choudary-sent-hundreds-to-join-alqaida-in-syria-8960883.html|access-date=29 November 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=25 November 2013|archive-date=28 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228110158/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/gateway-to-terror-british-islamic-preacher-anjem-choudary-sent-hundreds-to-join-alqaida-in-syria-8960883.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Whitehead|first=Tom|title=French spies and a neo-Nazi plot to kill Abu Hamza|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10471056/French-spies-and-a-neo-Nazi-plot-to-kill-Abu-Hamza.html|access-date=29 November 2013|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=25 November 2013|archive-date=27 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127234703/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10471056/French-spies-and-a-neo-Nazi-plot-to-kill-Abu-Hamza.html|url-status=live}}

On 16 October 2014, the organisation launched a new blog, Generation Jihad, which it said would "be a forum to monitor, expose and understand militant jihadism and extreme Islamism".{{cite web|last1=Lowles|first1=Nick|title=Generation Jihad: an introduction|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/jihad/generation-jihad-our-introduction-4071|website=HOPE not hate|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-date=20 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020032137/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/jihad/generation-jihad-our-introduction-4071|url-status=live}}

Once Anjem Choudary was found guilty of inviting support for the Islamic State in August 2016, Hope not Hate updated its research and revealed that Choudary and his extremist groups had motivated at least a hundred people from Britain to pursue terrorism.{{cite news|last1=Dodd|first1=Vikram|title=Revealed: how Anjem Choudary influenced at least 100 British jihadis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/16/revealed-how-anjem-choudary-inspired-at-least-100-british-jihadis|access-date=23 August 2016|work=The Guardian|date=16 August 2016|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404203058/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/16/revealed-how-anjem-choudary-inspired-at-least-100-british-jihadis|url-status=live}}

More recently, it has also focused on Islamist extremists{{cite web | last=Ali | first=Aftab | title=NUS 'no-platforms' head of anti-racism campaign for being 'Islamophobic' | website=The Independent | date=2016-02-19 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/hope-not-hate-chief-executive-nick-lowles-noplatformed-by-nus-for-being-islamophobic-a6881831.html | access-date=2021-10-01 | archive-date=1 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001110759/https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/hope-not-hate-chief-executive-nick-lowles-noplatformed-by-nus-for-being-islamophobic-a6881831.html | url-status=live }} and issues of communal division, such as grooming.{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=Grooming – an issue we can no longer ignore|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/grooming-an-issue-we-cannot-ignore-2349|publisher=HOPE not hate|access-date=21 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220122503/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/grooming-an-issue-we-cannot-ignore-2349|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/hate-groups/am/|title=Hate Files: The Al-Muhajiroun network|work=hopenothate.org.uk|access-date=22 October 2012|archive-date=5 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105112427/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/hate-groups/am/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=Homophobic hate preachers set to gather in York|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2096/homophobic-hate-preachers-set-to-gather-in-york|work=HOPE not hate|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108054603/http://hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2096/homophobic-hate-preachers-set-to-gather-in-york|archive-date=8 November 2012|url-status=dead}}

In 2013, the organisation initiated a nationwide consultation among its supporters about the UK Independence Party (UKIP).{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=Opposing UKIP We Could But Should We|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2680/opposing-ukip-we-could-but-should-we|work=Opposing UKIP, we could but should we?|publisher=HOPE not hate|access-date=8 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916002914/http://hopenothate.org.uk/blog/article/2680/opposing-ukip-we-could-but-should-we|archive-date=16 September 2013|url-status=dead}} The move attracted considerable criticism from some on the right.{{cite web|last=Humph|first=The|title='HOPE not hate' can't be serious with this UKIP question, can it?|url=http://www.thecommentator.com/article/2934/_hope_not_hate_can_t_be_serious_with_this_ukip_question_can_it|publisher=The Commentator|access-date=8 July 2013|archive-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517231245/http://www.thecommentator.com/article/2934/_hope_not_hate_can_t_be_serious_with_this_ukip_question_can_it|url-status=live}} It went on to campaign vociferously against UKIP during the run-up to the 2014 European elections.{{cite web|last1=not hate|first1=HOPE|title=Purple Rain|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/ukip/|website=HOPE not hate|access-date=3 June 2014|archive-date=30 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530005248/http://hopenothate.org.uk/ukip/|url-status=live}}

On 20 March 2019, Catherine Blaiklock, founder of the Brexit Party, resigned from the party after The Guardian enquired about deleted anti-Muslim messages from her Twitter account from before she took on the role.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/20/leader-of-pro-brexit-party-catherine-blaiklock-resigns-over-anti-islam-messages|title=Leader of Nigel Farage's party resigns over anti-Islam messages|work=The Guardian|date=20 March 2019|access-date=20 March 2019|author=Peter Walker|quote=The leader of the new pro-Brexit party backed by Nigel Farage has abruptly resigned, after the Guardian asked her about a series of deleted anti-Islam Twitter messages sent from her account before she took on the role.|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819180744/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/20/leader-of-pro-brexit-party-catherine-blaiklock-resigns-over-anti-islam-messages|url-status=live}} Blaiklock's deleted tweets were recovered by Hope not Hate and passed to The Guardian.

In November 2019, Hope not Hate said "An election has just been called for the 12th December 2019 and our priority is clear – we're going to be taking on Nigel Farage and his Brexit party, to make sure they don't win any seats."{{cite news|url=https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/|title=Hope Not hate|access-date=3 November 2019|archive-date=2 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102190713/https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/|url-status=live}} The organisation funded research, along with Best for Britain, used to encourage pro-Remain tactical voting.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-news-latest-best-for-britain-brexit-vote-tool-lib-dems-a9179731.html|title=General election: Best for Britain forced to defend tactical voting tool amid row over Lib Dem support|last=Buchan|first=Lizzy|date=1 November 2019|access-date=3 November 2019|work=The Independent|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101154525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-news-latest-best-for-britain-brexit-vote-tool-lib-dems-a9179731.html|url-status=live}}

Hope not Hate have commented regularly on antisemitism allegations in the Labour Party. In June 2019, the group condemned Lisa Forbes after she was found to have 'liked' a post on Facebook saying that Theresa May had a "Zionist Slave Master's agenda".{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/06/the-shame-of-labour-mps-who-campaigned-for-lisa-forbes/|title=The shame of Labour MPs who campaigned for Lisa Forbes|date=7 June 2019|website=Coffee House|access-date=15 February 2020|archive-date=4 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104092138/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/06/the-shame-of-labour-mps-who-campaigned-for-lisa-forbes/|url-status=live}} In July 2019, Lowles said that there had been "an appalling lack of understanding of the hurt and fear felt by Jewish party members and the Jewish community".{{cite news|url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/chief-rabbi-accuses-labour-leadership-of-direct-complicity-antisemitism-row/|title=Chief Rabbi accuses Labour leadership of 'direct complicity' in antisemitism row|date=11 July 2019|access-date=25 September 2019|work=Jewish News|archive-date=17 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717204848/https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/chief-rabbi-accuses-labour-leadership-of-direct-complicity-antisemitism-row/|url-status=live}} He also said that "the leadership should start listening to people like the Jewish Labour Movement and bringing forward substantial organisational and cultural change."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/13/labour-struggles-with-resignations-bad-polls-and-attacks|title=Labour struggles with resignations, bad polls and attacks after BBC exposé|last1=Savage|first1=Michael|last2=Helm|first2=Toby|date=13 July 2019|access-date=25 September 2019|work=The Guardian|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032147/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/13/labour-struggles-with-resignations-bad-polls-and-attacks|url-status=live}} In November 2019, Lowles was reported to have written to every member of Labour's National Executive Committee, urging them to bar suspended MP Chris Williamson from defending his seat at the following month's general election and to expel him from the party.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-chris-williamson-hope-not-hate-election-suspension_uk_5dbc5a14e4b09d8f979a3cbe|title=Exclusive: Labour Urged To Bar Chris Williamson From Election Over Anti-Semitism Allegations|last=Singh|first=Arj|date=1 November 2019|access-date=1 November 2019|work=Huff Post|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419170932/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-chris-williamson-hope-not-hate-election-suspension_uk_5dbc5a14e4b09d8f979a3cbe|url-status=live}}

Hope not Hate has provided analysis of anti-LGBTQ+ hate movements, and has described Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull as "a leading voice in the antitrans movement" who has "increasingly found support from and an overlap in views with the far right."{{cite web |title=CASE FILE: Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull |url=https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-kellie-jay/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |archive-date=25 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325215128/https://hopenothate.org.uk/case-files-kellie-jay/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Anti-drag protests and Posie Parker singled out in new report on far-right extremism |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/28/state-of-hate-2023-trans-drag-posie-parker/ |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=PinkNews |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032055/https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/28/state-of-hate-2023-trans-drag-posie-parker/ |url-status=live }}

In February 2016, Nick Lowles was not invited to a National Union of Students event due to opposition by the NUS Black Students campaign, which said that he was Islamophobic.{{cite web|last=Rawlinson|first=Kevin|date=18 February 2016|title=Anti-racism campaigner 'stopped from speaking at NUS event' over 'Islamophobia' claims|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/18/anti-racism-campaigner-stopped-speaking-nus-islamophobia-claims|via=www.theguardian.com|access-date=23 March 2019|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032128/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/18/anti-racism-campaigner-stopped-speaking-nus-islamophobia-claims|url-status=live}}{{Importance inline|date=September 2021}}

In November 2016, a Hope not Hate draft press release about a report on the extent of abusive social media following the murder of Jo Cox MP by a right-wing extremist included incorrect figures not in the report. According to an investigation by The Economist, "The report itself gave a confusing impression of the number of tweets that celebrated Ms Cox’s murder": "Hope Not Hate’s mistake is to take xenophobic Brexit-related tweets (which are plentiful, though a tiny fraction of the whole) and add them to tweets celebrating the murder of an MP (which as far as we can establish were very rare) to make a single tally of hatred. It then compounds the error by focusing on Ms Cox in the report’s headline and the initial press release."{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21711931-trolls-twitter-seem-be-less-numerous-feared-supposed-outpouring-online-hatred|title=A supposed outpouring of online hatred against Jo Cox, a murdered MP, was exaggerated|date=17 December 2016|newspaper=The Economist|issn=0013-0613|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-date=16 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216164110/http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21711931-trolls-twitter-seem-be-less-numerous-feared-supposed-outpouring-online-hatred|url-status=live}} A corrected version of the release was subsequently sent to all other media for the report's official launch, and the original article was withdrawn.{{cite web|last1=Awan|first1=Imran|title=Cyber hate after Jo Cox's murder and the Brexit vote|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/cyber-hate-after-jo-cox-s-murder-and-the-brexit-vote-5091|website=HOPE not hate|access-date=11 January 2017|archive-date=13 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113131948/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/blog/nick/cyber-hate-after-jo-cox-s-murder-and-the-brexit-vote-5091|url-status=live}}

In December 2016, the British politician Nigel Farage accused the group of being "extremists" who "masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means", after Jo Cox's widower husband Brendan Cox had chosen Hope not Hate as one of three beneficiaries of her memorial fund.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hope-not-hate-nigel-farage-lawsuit-sue-crowdfunding-jo-cox-brendan-comments-berlin-attack-a7487226.html|title=People are being invited to donate towards a fund to sue Nigel Farage|date=20 December 2016|work=The Independent}} The group responded by setting up a crowdfunded appeal for a legal fund to sue Farage over the remarks. Hope Not Hate proceeded to issue a claim against Farage for libel. In November 2017, shortly before the libel case came to court, it was settled as Farage agreed to withdraw his comments.{{cite news|last1=Walker|first1=Peter|title=Nigel Farage withdraws 'violent means' claim against Hope Not Hate|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/14/nigel-farage-withdraws-claim-hope-not-hate-high-court|access-date=15 November 2017|work=The Guardian|date=14 November 2017|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605032056/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/14/nigel-farage-withdraws-claim-hope-not-hate-high-court|url-status=live}}

In August 2019, Assistant Editor of the Daily Telegraph Philip Johnston criticised the group for not doing enough to acknowledge that the United Kingdom was "among the least racist, least extreme and most inclusive [countries] in the world".{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/08/20/boris-johnson-needs-take-lefts-false-prophets-hope/|title=Boris Johnson needs to take on the Left's false prophets of hope|first=Philip|last=Johnston|work=The Telegraph |date=20 August 2019|via=www.telegraph.co.uk|access-date=15 February 2020|archive-date=22 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122053225/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/08/20/boris-johnson-needs-take-lefts-false-prophets-hope/|url-status=live}}

During the 2024 United Kingdom riots, Nick Lowles tweeted that reports were coming that acid was being thrown at a Muslim woman in the streets of Middlesbrough. Lowles later apologised after Cleveland Police confirmed no such incident had been recorded. Conservative MP Neil O'Brien called Lowles' behaviour "incredibly irresponsible".{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Fiona |date=5 August 2024 |title=Hope Not Hate boss apologises for false 'acid attack on Muslim woman' tweet |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/05/nick-lowles-hope-not-hate-apologise-tweet-acid-attack/ |work=The Telegraph}}

File:Author and activist Matthew Collins, Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival 2023.jpg]]

The campaign publishes an eponymous bi-monthly magazine; in 2011 it commissioned an opinion poll on electoral attitudes towards English identity, faith and race, published as the Fear and Hope survey.{{cite news|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=What Britons really think about immigration|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/feb/26/britons-immigration-multiculturalism-study|access-date=24 October 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 February 2011|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605033131/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/feb/26/britons-immigration-multiculturalism-study|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Lowles|first=Nick|title=Fear and HOPE|url=http://www.fearandhope.org.uk/executive-summary/|publisher=HOPE not hate|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-date=20 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820171558/http://www.fearandhope.org.uk/executive-summary/|url-status=live}} In 2012 it issued a report on the counterjihad movement, the Counter-Jihad Report; and in the same year produced a 75th anniversary guide to the Battle of Cable Street.{{cite web|url=http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/shop/cablest|title=HOPE not hate|work=hopenothate.org.uk|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=23 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023012328/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/shop/cablest|url-status=live}} In 2011 Matthew Collins, a former National Front and British National Party member and part of the group's investigative team, published Hate: My Life in the British Far Right ({{ISBN|978-1-84954-327-9}}). In June 2014 Collins and Hope not Hate published original research into what they termed a far-right, Christian fundamentalist organisation, Britain First, revealing its links to Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland and preparation for conflict, after the group held controversial "Christian Patrols" and "mosque invasions" in various cities in the UK.{{cite news|last1=Whelan|first1=Brian|title=Britain First: inside the extremist group targeting mosques|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/britain-first-far-right-anti-muslim-extremists-mosques|access-date=20 June 2014|publisher=Channel 4 News|date=20 June 2014|archive-date=2 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102173957/https://www.channel4.com/news/britain-first-far-right-anti-muslim-extremists-mosques|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Bienkov|first1=Adam|title=Britain First: The violent new face of British fascism|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/06/19/britain-first-the-violent-new-face-of-british-fascism|publisher=Politics.co.uk|access-date=20 June 2014|archive-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418123738/https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2014/06/19/britain-first-the-violent-new-face-of-british-fascism|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Britain First - Army of the Right|url=http://hopenothate.org.uk/britain-first/|website=HOPE not hate|access-date=19 June 2014|archive-date=21 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621233346/http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/britain-first/|url-status=live}} In response, Britain First issued a press release threatening "direct action" against any journalist repeating "any inaccuracies or lies peddled by Hope Not Hate".{{cite web|last1=Datoo|first1=Siraj|title=Britain First Leader Threatens To Turn Up At Journalists' Homes If They Repeat Claims About The Party|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/britain-first-leader-threatens-to-turn-up-at-journalists-hom|website=Buzzfeed.co.uk|date=19 June 2014 |publisher=BuzzFeed|access-date=20 June 2014|archive-date=20 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620024450/http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/britain-first-leader-threatens-to-turn-up-at-journalists-hom|url-status=live}}

Prominent supporters of Hope not Hate have included businessman Alan Sugar, boxer Amir Khan, singer Beverley Knight, actress and screenwriter Meera Syal, TV presenter Fiona Phillips, MP [2015-19] and former anti-fascist organiser Ruth Smeeth, chef Simon Rimmer, songwriter Billy Bragg, entrepreneur Levi Roots, singer Speech Debelle, actress and singer Paloma Faith, presenter Dermot O'Leary, Baroness Glenys Kinnock, comedian Eddie Izzard, murdered MP Jo Cox,{{cite web |date=15 May 2009 |url=http://www.trinitymirror.com/2009/05/third-successive-year-for-mirrors-hope-not-hate-tour.html |title=Third Successive Year for Mirror's Hope Not Hate Tour|publisher=Trinitymirror plc |access-date=24 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925051400/http://www.trinitymirror.com/2009/05/third-successive-year-for-mirrors-hope-not-hate-tour.html|archive-date=25 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/may/15/daily-mirror-hope-not-hate |title=Daily Mirror Hope not Hate anti-racism campaign gets under way |work=The Guardian |date=15 May 2009 |access-date=9 October 2009 |location=London |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605033110/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/may/15/daily-mirror-hope-not-hate |url-status=live }}{{cite web|last=Faith|first=Paloma|title=A very special message|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201108077486179&set=vb.72691320969&type=2&theater|publisher=Paloma Faith (Facebook Page)|access-date=17 March 2014|archive-date=5 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605033150/https://www.facebook.com/palomafaith/videos/10201108077486179/|url-status=live}} and Swedish Tetra Pak heiress Sigrid Rausing.{{cite web|url=https://www.sigrid-rausing-trust.org/Grantees/HOPE-Not-Hate|title=HOPE Not Hate - Grantees|website=Sigrid Rausing Trust|date=7 November 2013 |access-date=2019-04-01|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401201406/https://www.sigrid-rausing-trust.org/Grantees/HOPE-Not-Hate|url-status=live}}

• Red Flare
• Searchlight (magazine)
• The Walk-In, 2022 TV series about Hope Not Hate's role in foiling a plot to murder a British MP

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{official website}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope Not Hate}}

Category:2004 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Advocacy groups in the United Kingdom

Category:Anti-fascist organisations in the United Kingdom

Category:Anti-racist organisations in the United Kingdom

Category:Civil rights organisations in the United Kingdom

Category:Discrimination in the United Kingdom

Category:Hate crime

Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington

Category:Organizations established in 2004

Category:Opposition to antisemitism in the United Kingdom