Safety over courage: how the sector is standing together this week

This has been a difficult week for our sector, and an extraordinary one.

In the wake of recent events, and with far-right hostility once again being directed at migrants and the organisations who stand alongside them, IMIX reached out to the sector to ask a simple question: how are you doing, and what do you need?

The answers, gathered through a rapid snapshot survey over just 24 hours, painted a picture of a sector that is alert and anxious, but not cowed. The concern raised most often, by half of everyone who responded, was the safety of people with lived experience, the very people whose voices and visibility our sector depends on. Organisations also told us they were worried about media misrepresentation, online abuse, and how to protect their teams and volunteers.

One response stayed with us:

We think they are right. Hope and anger are not opposites. We can hold both.

Coming together at less than 24 hours’ notice

On Thursday, we convened a sector solidarity meeting. We gave less than 24 hours’ notice. Fifty people signed up and 42 attended. That turnout tells its own story about how much the sector needed a space to come together.

We heard directly from colleagues on the ground in Belfast, who described a culture of fear, but also incredible community responses and solidarity. One account, was of a healthcare worker who has had to stay away from home with their children. Frightening and upsetting as that has been, they spoke of supportive neighbours, of work colleagues opening their homes, and of a clear sense that those causing harm are a small minority. Around them, communities are showing up: anti-racist rallies, student groups supporting local organisations, and a surge in donations to grassroots groups led by and for migrant women.

We also talked about Refugee Week. There were genuine concerns about events, and one contribution reframed the whole conversation. An attendee, speaking as a refugee, told us that they were expected to be courageous, but that right now, safety is more important than courage. We will be carrying that with us. No one should have to be brave to take part in a celebration.

There was hope here too. Colleagues in Bristol, where Refugee Week is already underway, told us their events so far have been popular, well supported and free from hostility. And Hope Not Hate joined us to share intelligence on the current situation and practical safety advice for anyone holding events.

What IMIX is doing

Alongside the meeting, we have been working directly with journalists to make sure the voices of people affected are heard anonymously and safely, with full consent at every stage. Our Media Manager, has been matching journalists with voices and encouraging better, less intrusive storytelling, including through voice notes and self-authored pieces. This lets people with lived experience be heard on their own terms, without the risks that can come with traditional interviews.

We have also set up a Crisis Comms WhatsApp group, a standing channel where organisations can get quick turnaround communications advice and peer support. If your organisation would find that useful, get in touch and we will add you.

Resources you can use right now

From IMIX:

• Our Speaking Out, Staying Safe guide, bringing together ten years of IMIX knowledge to help grassroots groups and small charities communicate with confidence, care and strategy, whether you are preparing for an interview, responding to a crisis or telling your story safely
• Our new Messaging Guide: Countering anti-migrant messages, endorsed by Hope Not Hate, with shared narratives, audience insights and the facts you need to speak with confidence, from social posts to difficult conversations in your community

The solidarity meeting also became a pooling of practical resources from across the sector, and we want to share them more widely:

• Hope Not Hate’s Safety and Security Hub, with direct support available via communities@hopenothate.org.uk
• Right to Remain’s safety guidelines and new fact sheets on immigration detention and staying safe, produced with These Walls Must Fall
• Asylum Matters’ Not In Our Name guide, developed with End Violence Against Women and other VAWG organisations, on responding to the racist weaponisation of violence against women and girls
• Coming soon from Migrants’ Rights Network, Anaka Women’s Collective and PPR: the We Keep Each Other Safe workbook, built on workshops with migrant communities in London and Belfast

How you can help

If your organisation has stories of community response, of neighbours, volunteers and local people standing with migrants and refugees, we want to help you tell them. These are the stories that show who we really are, and they deserve to be heard. Contact media@imix.org.uk, and we can keep storytellers anonymous to keep them safe.

You can also support this work directly. Our Speaking Out, Staying Safe crowdfunder is raising £30,000 so we can keep providing exactly the kind of rapid, practical support described in this blog: crisis communications advice, safety guidance, media support for people with lived experience, and spaces for the sector to come together when it matters most. Every donation, however small, helps us keep showing up for organisations on the front line. Donate here.

This week has shown the worst of a vocal minority, and the best of our communities. The fear is real, but so is the solidarity. We will keep holding this space, and we will keep standing together.

To join the Crisis Comms WhatsApp group, take part in our sector snapshot, or talk to us about communications support, visit imix.org.uk or get in touch with the team.