Month: May 2021

Enjoyed taking part in the @BBCLookEast #conversation A year since the death of #GeorgeFloyd and the #protests which followed around the world – what has changed and what happens next?

Along side #DrRobPower @blminthestix @BedsOPCC #AmyNomvula

Full link to the conversation – https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=809628519661611&ref=watch_permalink

On days like today, the anniversary of the tragic death of Lee Rigby, I am reminded of how the far-right will use other people’s tragedies for their own agendas with no thoughts of how the families feel. When I was in the EDL, I would use the 7/7 bombings every year to spread outrage and further my message. It wasn’t until I met Dan Biddle, the most injured survivor that day, and heard his story of trying to rebuild his life, that I felt guilty for how I used the tragedy for my own aims.

Every year Lee Rigby’s family will say not to use his name, but are ignored by those who wish to use his memory to spread hate.

I can of course understand the national outrage about tragic events that take place – but we need to let families grieve without an annual battle for how their loved one’s memories should be used.

I call on anyone who sees posts on social media trying to use this tragedy to sow anger to stop, to think, and to make a choice to respect the wishes of bereaved by standing against hatred and division.

Disengaging from an extremist group is a long and difficult process – that’s why two former extremists are helping others turn their back on the far right.

In a packed synagogue on the outskirts of Chicago, Jeff Schoep prepares to address the crowd.

Public speaking is nothing new to Jeff, he’s done it for over 25 years, and to crowds much bigger than this. But this time is different… and he’s nervous.

Jeff is the former leader of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), the largest Neo-Nazi organisation in the USA.

The National Socialist Movement is a militant, racist, antisemitic group, known for holding public rallies dressed in Nazi-styled uniforms. They are accused of planning and carrying out the violence at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

This event at the synagogue was a watershed moment in Jeff’s long road towards de-radicalisation.

“Coming out of an environment where you’re always right, to getting up there in front of a crowd of people — people I had dehumanised — and admit I was wrong was so, so hard.”

He has since set up Beyond Barriers, a charity who provide support for individuals fleeing extremism.




READ MORE – “I went from the hater to the hated overnight”: Why is it so difficult to leave the far right? | by Nathan Clarke | Apr, 2021 | Medium