Women Against the Far Right: Why We Must All Stand Up

When over 6,000 people sign an open letter and more than 600 gathered for an online launch, something powerful is happening. Women Against the Far Right is more than a campaign, it is a movement exposing the dangerous hypocrisy of those who claim to “protect women” while fuelling racism, misogyny, and hate.

The far right insists it speaks for women’s safety. But as speakers at the launch made clear, this is a lie. Many of those at the forefront of far-right organising have convictions for violence against women. Their agenda is not about keeping women safe, it is about dividing communities, demonising migrants, and undermining women’s rights.

The Issues at Stake

• Violence against women: Far-right groups claim to care about women, yet they were silent when Sarah Everard was murdered by a serving police officer. Their outrage appears only when perpetrators are people ethnically diverse.
• Misogyny in disguise: Calls to restrict abortion and women’s autonomy reveal their true intentions, rolling back rights hard-won by previous generations.
• Disability and intersectionality: Disabled women, particularly those who are visibly Muslim, face compounded threats. Far-right parties like Reform UK openly propose cutting welfare, privatising the NHS, and axing special needs funding, policies that would devastate lives. In the UK, 16.1 million people are disabled (24% of the population), with women making up the majority.
• Young people and education: Teachers report far-right lies spreading rapidly online, fostering division and fear. Defunding education and stripping hope from working-class children leaves a vacuum that hate groups exploit.
• Economic insecurity: As Grace Blakeley argued, neoliberal politics has left many people feeling powerless and alone. The far-right exploits this by offering scapegoats instead of solutions.

Why This Movement Matters

Women Against the Far Right represents a coalition that refuses to let hate hide behind the language of safety. It is a reminder that solidarity, not scapegoating, creates real safety for women, children, and communities. It is part of a proud history—echoing women in Tower Hamlets who fought the BNP in the 1990s, and the mothers and grandmothers of Cable Street in the 1930s.

This campaign is important because it does not only resist, but it also proposes. It calls for women, carers, workers, trade unionists, musicians, educators, and politicians to take action together.

What We Must Do

• As citizens: Challenge racist myths wherever they surface, in conversations, on social media, and in our communities. Show up at demonstrations. Build solidarity across differences.
• As employers: Create workplaces that are actively anti-racist, with zero tolerance for discrimination. Provide education and support so staff feel safe to speak out against hate.
• As employees: Get organised. Join trade unions, speak up for colleagues, and refuse to allow far-right narratives to spread unchecked in workplaces.
• As parents and carers: Teach children the values of solidarity, empathy, and critical thinking. Counter online disinformation by having open, honest conversations at home.
• As politicians: Reject the false “women’s safety” narrative that scapegoats’ migrants. Prioritise tackling gender-based violence, funding education, and protecting public services. Speak clearly and consistently: refugees are not the enemy.

A Call to Rise

The far right thrives on fear, but fear cannot survive where solidarity lives. Women Against the Far Right has shown that thousands are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder.

As one speaker reminded us: “No one is free until all of us are free.”

Now is the time for citizens, workers, carers, parents, and leaders to rise together, not only against the far right, but for the inclusive, equal, and safe society we all deserve.

Follow Women Against the Far Right on Instagram and get involved in the campaign.