Yesterday, we spoke at a vital event at Parliament on the rise of the right and the weaponisation of violence against women and girls. ⁣

The event, which took place on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, was organised by Women Against the Far Right.

We were delighted to join brilliant speakers including Diane Abbott MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Zarah Sultana MP, Andrea Simon of End Violence Against Women Coalition, Sabby Dhalu of Stand Up To Racism and Sabrina Beach of Women Against the Far Right, chaired by Samira Ali of WAFR.

Memory, a refugee woman in our network, spoke powerfully about her personal experience and the need to hold those in power to account. ⁣Here is a snippet of her speech:

It has been a difficult number of years for people seeking safety in the UK. The hostile environment is getting worse and worse.

The rise of the far-right is having a hugely damaging impact on people who have come to the UK to find safety. My friends who are still in hotels don’t feel safe anymore. Imagine yourself watching from your window as angry people try to attack where you are forced to call home. This affects everyone mentally. People do not feel like they are wanted or that they are welcome. Shocking!

I have experienced racism myself. As a woman, as a Black woman, as a Black refugee woman, I wonder, am I safe? I was confronted by a man on the streets and told to f— off back to my country. This is what happens when the media, MPs and those in power normalise hateful language – it gives power to people to act. It has real life consequences.

The far-right doesn’t just impact those of us with lived experience. It impacts the organisations who work so hard to fill the gaps left by the Government. Women for Refugee Women has to think about staff safety, removing staff details from the website, trying to get CCTV installed at the office. It is making charities jobs even harder.

In all of this, the right are now weaponizing VAWG for their own cause. We have seen the right claim to protect women and girls, yet many who have protested at hotels are themselves perpetrators of VAWG. This isn’t about tackling violence against women and girls, it’s about furthering racism, hostility and anti-migrant sentiments.

What can we do to stop the rise of the right?

Those in power have a lot of responsibilities. The Government needs to stand firm and have the moral courage to call out racism and xenophobia. The media – including social media platforms ran by billionaires – needs to stop spreading disinformation and profiting from hate. It is dangerous.

We cannot stop the far-right by emulating the policies of the right. The recent announcements to reform the asylum system were welcomed by Tommy Robinson – what does this say? The real issues need tackling so everyone feels heard – like poverty and the NHS – so everyone can live a fulfilled, dignified life. It is about being brave enough to name the real problems, instead of using people seeking safety here as a convenient scapegoat.

There is so much power in community and in people. We have to speak out and stand in solidarity to create a supportive and caring movement – for all of us. I have faith in the future because of people like you – thank you.

If you’d like to join our community to hear about actions you can take to support refugee women and to resist hostile policies, please sign our pledge to Welcome Every Woman here.